Origin

The kanji 垣 combines the soil radical 土 on the left, which indicates this character relates to things made from earth, with the component 亘 on the right, which serves as a sound hint for pronunciation. A hedge or fence is typically constructed by piling up earth, stacking wood, or building with natural materials from the ground, so pairing the "earth" classifier with a sound component creates the word for these structures. The shape visually suggests something solid and substantial built from the earth itself.