• 細胞さいぼう — cell
• 同胞どうほう — compatriot; people of the same nation or group
• 胞子ほうし — spore
• 胞衣えな — fetal membrane; afterbirth

The kanji 胞 combines the “flesh” radical 月 with the element 包 meaning “to wrap.” Together they suggest a soft part of the body wrapped or enclosed — like a membrane or sac. From this idea come modern words such as 細胞さいぼう, a single tiny “wrapped unit” that makes up living organisms, and 同胞どうほう, people who share the same “womb” or origin.