Origin

The character 性 combines the heart radical on the left, which signals that this character relates to the inner nature or disposition of a person, with the component 生 on the right, which provides a sound hint for pronunciation. The character originally expressed the idea of one's inborn nature or temperament—the qualities that come from within the heart. Over time, the meaning broadened to include sex and gender, since these are fundamental aspects of a person's nature. The right component doesn't contribute a meaning here; it simply suggests how the character should be pronounced.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).