stock · stump

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 株 has 10 strokes and refers to a plant or shares in a company.
• Basic usage: 株 is read かぶ, and 切り株, a tree stump, is read きりかぶ.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The object depends on context
  • 会社の株 refers to a company's shares. In the rose-transplanting example, 一株だけ specifies just one plant.
• The stump after a tree is cut
  • 切り株 is the base left after a tree has been cut down.
  • In 切り株から小さな芽が伸びていた, a small shoot was growing from the stump.