Origin

This character combines the insect radical 虫, which marks it as the name of a creature, with 天 on top. The 天 component serves as a sound hint, suggesting roughly how the character should be pronounced (similar to the on'yomi reading). By pairing a general "insect" classifier with this sound indicator, the character specifically identifies the silkworm — one of the most important insects in East Asian culture. The name itself, meaning roughly "insect of heaven" or "heavenly insect," may reflect the ancient reverence for silkworms as producers of the luxurious silk that was traded along the Silk Road.