Meaning & readings
design, pattern, build, nature, character, handle, crank, grip, knob, shaft
Origin
The character combines the tree radical on the left, which points to the meaning of wooden objects, with a sound component on the right that hints at the pronunciation. Originally this character likely referred to the handle of a wooden tool or weapon, since a handle is a wooden part you grasp. Over time the meaning broadened to include the pattern or design on things like fabric, and more abstractly to a person's nature or character, as in "what someone is made of." The wooden handle sense remains in the core idea of a physical grip or hold.
AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).
Common words
Reference
- Strokes
- 9
- Kangxi radical
- 75
- Grade
- Jōyō (secondary school)
- Frequency rank
- #1140 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 1
- Unicode
- U+067C4