iris
菖 centers on the iris plant, specifically the sweet flag or calamus variety, often associated with the Japanese Iris Festival.
菖 combines the grass radical 艹 with 昌, which likely provides the sound ショウ. The character refers to a specific fragrant iris used in traditional festivals.
The grass radical 艹 sits above 昌, like the leaves of an iris plant rising above two suns. Imagine the iris blooming under bright sunlight.
For ショウ, picture a show of irises at a festival: show -> ショウ, and the iris leaves wave in the breeze.
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sweet flag (Acorus calamus); calamus
iris (flower)
Japanese iris; blue flag; Iris ensata
(of a choice) one being as excellent as the other; both so beautiful it is hard to choose between
gladiolus
German iris (Iris germanica)
Iris ensata; Ise Japanese iris
something that comes too late to be useful; iris (blooming) on the 6th (i.e. one day too late for the Boy's Day celebration)
fragrant iris; sweet flag; orris
blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium rosulatum)
Arctic iris (Iris setosa)
Iris ensata; Edo Japanese iris
wooly frogsmouth (Philydrum lanuginosum); wooly waterlily
Japanese sweet flag (Acorus gramineus)
Iris ensata; Higo Japanese iris
bathwater with iris leaves; sweet-flag bath
yellow iris