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An Etymological Dictionary of Chinese Characters
Interpretations by Lawrence J. Howell and Hikaru Morimoto |
| Covering 6,500 Chinese characters as used in Japan |
Word Family of Terms Originally Pronounced KUG
Semantic Values of the Sound KUG:
Frame + Circle/Mass + Straight
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Terms in this word family suggest that there is an element of circularity and/or of massing with respect to the framing object.
We find a bending line penetrating enclosures (区) or bracketing a frame (句), a bent-over body (欧 and 殴), people who bump into each other while rounding a curve (遇), a full set of tools (具), spacious garments (裕), and the frame formed by the circular mouth (口).
Among the non-Everyday Use Characters, we find the following examples:
Assemblage of curved wooden constructions, side by side (冓, 搆)
Bamboo bent to create a fish trap (笱)
A bamboo basket (篝)
Straw/hemp woven into sandals (屨)
Fruit/seed in a protective covering (蔲)
A lotus root with parallel tubular concavities (藕)
A round cavity (in a tooth) (齲)
A winding mountain path or recess (嶇, 嵎)
A raised mound (堠)
A lump of dried cooked rice (餱)
The hunched shape of a monkey (with a curving tail) (禺, 猴)
A round hut (寓)
A (nearly) round shell (鷇)
Bending of the body (嘔, 謳, 軀, 佝, 狗, 叩, 吼, 劬, 傴, 嫗, 扣, 呴, 姁, 痀, 喣, 耇)
Bending of the fingers (摳)
A bending/bent tree (枸)
A mouth curved in gasping for breath (喁)
A bent hook, or plow forks (鉤, 勾, 耦)
The curve formed by a drawn bow (彀)
The curving bridge of an instrument (駒)
Meeting that takes place on a curving path and/or out of sight (遘, 姤)
A curved piece of earthenware (甌)
Curved recesses in an object (窳)
A group of people (倶)
A swirling whirlwind (颶)
A button (釦)
Enveloping heat source (昫, 煦)
Extensions of meaning or abstract applications of the senses noted above are found in the remaining characters in this group.
区 (4) ク Formerly 區 BIS 
BIS shows a bending line penetrating three enclosures → division; sector (← divide a narrow section into smaller parts).
枢 (8) スウ Formerly 樞
As per 區/区 (Type 1 Phonetic) (bending line) + 木 tree/wood → cylindrical pivot penetrating the shaft of a door.
欧 (8) オウ Formerly 歐
As per 區/区 (Type 1 Phonetic) (divide into small units) + 欠 bent, open-mouthed figure → bend and vomit. Europe is a borrowing, from the phonetic construction 欧羅巴.
殴 (8) オウ；なぐ（る） Formerly 毆
As per 區/区 (Type 1 Phonetic) (bending line) + 殳 action indicator → beat a person into a bending position → hit; strike; punch; slap.
駆 (14) ク；か（ける・る） Formerly 驅 Alternate Form 駈
As per 區/区 (Type 1 Phonetic) (bending line) + 馬 horse → horse lowering its back in galloping → gallop → rush; drive/spur/urge on; run; ride → impel. The alternate form 駈 replaces 區/区 with 丘 (hill with a depression in the middle).
偶 (11) グウ
禺 (Type 8 Phonetic) here an abbreviated form of 遇 (meet → form a pair) → companion → doll (← object similar in appearance to a human, the two of which then form a pair); even number (← pairing). By accident and chance are borrowed meanings.
遇 (12) グウ
As per 禺 (Type 1 Phonetic) (monkey with a curving tail → curve) + 辵 movement → two persons who bump into each other while rounding a curve → meet.
隅 (12) グウ；すみ
As per 禺 (Type 1 Phonetic) (monkey with a curving tail → curve) + 阜 piled earth → curving ridges of a mountain/hill → corner (← curving portion of an earthen construction) → nook.
愚 (13) グ；おろ（か・かしい）
As per 禺 (Type 1 Phonetic) (monkey with a curving tail → curve) + 心 heart/emotions → warped (← curved) mind → hardheaded; stupid; foolish; silly.
句 (5) ク S/B  BIS 
As shown by the S/B form, 句 was originally the same character as 局 (pair of bending lines bracketing a narrow frame). In 句, the sense of "demarcation" produced the extended meanings phrase; verse; line; clause; and sentence.
拘 (8) コウ
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 手 hand/action indicator → confine within a narrow space → detain; adhere.
具 (8) グ Formerly  SIS 
SIS combines an abbreviated form (Type 8 Phonetic) of 鼎 tripod kettle + a pair of hands → arrange food in a vessel and hold it out in offering (compare 共) → tool (← arrangement [= full set] of tools ← arrangement of food) → be equipped/furnished with; concretely (← full set) → means (← that which enables something to be done).
裕 (12) ユウ
As per 谷 (Type 1 Phonetic) (depression) + 衣 clothing → loose-fitting garments with ample space between fabric and skin → surplus; ampleness; abundance.
侯 (9) コウ S/B  SIS 
S/B is a suspended target + an arrow → arrow piercing a dense target → target. SIS adds a person on top to indicate a marksman → lord; marquis (← persons of rank at court ← meritorious soldiers). 侯 is a later form, adding 人 person for clarity.
候 (10) コウ；そうろう
As per 侯 (Type 1 Phonetic) (aim at a target → look toward) + a vertical line suggesting 人 another person → pay attention to another → sign; symptom (← that which attracts attention to a person/object); scout (← person who works following signs/clues); weather (← signs or indicators of weather). The application to 候 of the Japanese そうろう, a classical verb ending, represents a borrowing.
口 (3) コウ；ク；くち S/B 
S/B is a pictograph of a mouth → hole; entrance. 口 can also function as a shape indicator.
后 (6) コウ SIS 
SIS is the reverse of the elements combined in 司 (person peering through a narrow hole), and thus refers to something kept out of sight → empress; queen (← female members of the royal/imperial family, whose quarters were secreted deep within a palace; compare 宮).
後 (9) コウ；ゴ；あと；うし（ろ）；おく（れる）；のち BIS 
BIS combines 幺 (Type 4 Phonetic) slender thread (→ slight) + 夊 dragging leg/foot + 彳 movement → drag along at a snail's pace → behind; late; after. Other extended meanings include back; rear; lag; late; afterwards; since (then); ever since; the remainder; (time) remaining; and successor.
溝 (13) コウ；みぞ
As per 冓 (Type 1 Phonetic) (symmetrical construction) + 水 water → symmetrical construction that carries water → ditch; gutter; sewer → groove.
構 (14) コウ；かま（う・え・える）
As per 冓 (Type 1 Phonetic) (symmetrical construction) + 木 tree/wood → join wood together and build a structure the front and back of which are perfectly level → prepare; fabricate; device; style; (mental) preparation → mind/care about. Other extended meanings from "prepare" or "fabricate" include hospitality; interfere; feign; and (assume a) posture/attitude.
購 (17) コウ
As per 冓 (Type 1 Phonetic) (symmetrical construction) + 貝 commodities → transact business so that both parties are in perfect agreement → purchase; buy.
厚 (9) コウ；あつ（い） BIS 
BIS shows an inverted form of 高 (Type 4 Phonetic) tall/high + 厂 cliff → tall cliff → thick; heavy (← cliff composed of thick, heavy rocks) → cordial; warm(hearted) (← lay on kindness thickly). Compare 京.
寇 (11) コウ Alternate Form 冦
As per 完 (Type 5 phonetic) (cover/surround in protecting) + 攴 strike/hit → enemies who break down protective barriers and invade → bandits; thieves.
冓 (10) コウ SIS 
SIS shows two curved wooden constructions, side by side → assemble.
媾 (13) コウ
As per 冓 (Type 1 Phonetic) (symmetrical construction) + 女 woman → marry (← pair a man and woman) → intimacy.
篝 (16) コウ；かがり；ふせご
As per 冓 (Type 1 Phonetic) (symmetrical construction) + 竹 bamboo → bamboo frame → bamboo basket. (Camp/beacon) fire (compare 熊) is a borrowed meaning.
覯 (17) コウ
As per 冓 (Type 1 Phonetic) (symmetrical construction) + 見 see → meet someone unexpectedly, forming a pair. Compare 遇.
禺 (9) グ；グウ SIS 
SIS is a pictograph of a monkey with a curving tail.
寓 (12) グウ
As per 禺 (Type 1 Phonetic) (monkey with a curving tail → curve) + 宀 roof/building → hut-like temporary abode, of a round shape (compare 盧) → stay/use temporarily. Also, do under the pretext of (← temporary expedient).
嘔 (14) オウ；は（く）
As per 區 (Type 1 Phonetic) the previous form of 区 (bending line) + 口 mouth → bend to vomit → feel nauseated. Compare the original sense of 欧.
謳 (18) オウ；うた（う）
As per 區 (Type 1 Phonetic) the previous form of 区 (bending line) + 言 words → contort the body in singing (compare 歌) → sing → sing the praises of → extol; declare. Also, be famous (← have one's praises sung).
軀 (18) ク；からだ Alternate Form 躯
As per 區 (Type 1 Phonetic) the previous form of 区 (bending line) + 身 body → bending body.
佝 (7) ク；コウ
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 人 person → hunchback.
狗 (8) ク；コウ；いぬ
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 犬 dog/beast → crouching puppy (compare 駒) → dog.
苟 (8) ク；コウ；いやしく（も）
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 艸 grass/plant → bend grass to temporarily demarcate a small unit of land → for the time being. In the event that, considering that, if, any and (not) on any account are borrowed meanings. Distinguish 苟 from the identical-appearing element in 敬.
鉤 (13) コウ；かぎ
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 金 metal → metallic hook/barb.
駒 (15) ク；こま
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 馬 horse → colt (compare 狗) → (general term for a) horse. Also via the idea of demarcating a narrow space is bridge (of a stringed instrument) and shogi/chess pieces. The latter meaning is influenced by the Chinese term 馬子.
勾 (4) コウ
Originally a variant of 句 (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) → bend; hook → capture (← hook prey).
倶 (10) ク；グ
As per 具 (Type 1 Phonetic) (arrange food in a vessel → arrange) + 人 person → arrange people into a united group → all (← all united).
垢 (9) コウ；ク；あか
As per 后 (Type 1 Phonetic) (keep out of sight) + 土 earth → dirt, normally kept out of sight → filth.
逅 (10) コウ
As per 后 (Type 1 Phonetic) (keep out of sight) + 辵 movement → unexpected meeting (with a person one normally would not meet).
釦 (11) コウ；ク
口 (Type 1 Phonetic) (here a shape indicator; compare 扣) + 金 metal → metallic button.
喉 (12) コウ；のど
As per 侯 (Type 1 Phonetic) (arrow piercing a target) + 口 mouth → food penetrating (= passing through) the throat.
叩 (5) コウ；たた（く）；はた（く）
口 (Type 1 Phonetic) mouth + 卩 bending person → prostrate oneself in verbalizing a request → beat (← beat another into a prostrate position) → strike. The English term "kowtow" is via the compound 叩頭.
吼 (7) ク；コウ；ほ（える）
As per 孔 (Type 2 Phonetic) (bend) + 口 → animal craning its throat in uttering a roar, howl or bark → shout. Compare 吠.
劬 (7) ク；グ
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 力 power/energy → bend down/over (curving the back) in working (compare 傴) → become fatigued.
昫 (9) ク
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 日 sun/day → warm (v.) (← enveloping, warming rays of the sun; compare 煦).
煦 (13) ク；あたた（める）
As per 昫 (Type 1 Phonetic) (surround/envelop in warming) + 火 fire → surround/envelop in warming; warming sunlight.
傴 (13) ウ；かが（む）
As per 區 (Type 1 Phonetic) the previous form of 区 (bending line) + 人 person → bend down/over (curving the back; compare 劬); stoop (compare 跼).
嫗 (14) ウ；オウ；おうな
As per 區 (Type 1 Phonetic) the previous form of 区 (bending line) + 女 woman → stooped, elderly woman; affectionate term of address for an elderly woman. Compare 媼.
嶇 (14) ク
As per 區 (Type 1 Phonetic) the previous form of 区 (bending line) + 山 mountain → winding mountain path → steep and largely impassable.
甌 (16) オウ；かめ
As per 區 (Type 1 Phonetic) the previous form of 区 (bending line) + 瓦 tile → small, curved pot/jug/container.
猴 (12) コウ；さる
As per 侯 (Type 1 Phonetic) (aim at a target → look toward) + 犬 dog/beast → monkey (← ape of predatory habits; compare 狙, which also pairs the ideas of "ape" and "aim at a target").
嵎 (12) グウ；グ
As per 禺 (Type 1 Phonetic) (monkey with a curving tail → curve) + 山 mountain → mountain recess.
耦 (15) グウ；たぐい；なら（ぶ）
禺 (Type 8 Phonetic) here an abbreviated form of 偶 companion + 耒 plow → plow side by side; team (of two); companion; line up; align; be in reciprocal relation.
藕 (18) グウ；グ；ゴウ
耦 (Type 1 Phonetic) align + 艸 grass/plant → lotus root (← plant with neatly aligned, parallel cavities) → lotus plant.
搆 (13) コウ；かま（える）
As per 冓 (Type 1 Phonetic) (symmetrical construction) + 手 hand/action indicator → put together; assemble → occur one after another; create an intricate situation.
遘 (14) コウ；あ（う）
As per 冓 (Type 1 Phonetic) (symmetrical construction) + 辵 movement → meet (by approaching from opposite directions on a winding path). Have an audience with is a borrowed meaning via 覯.
扣 (6) コウ；たた（く）；ひか（える）；ひ（く）
口 (Type 1 Phonetic) (here a shape indicator; compare 釦) + 手 hand/action indicator → bend to pull/drag a heavy object → knock/beat on an object to bring it to a stop. Also, discount (← beat/knock down a price). Button, clasp and hook are via reinterpretation of the constituent elements of this character.
詬 (13) コウ；ク；はじ；はずかし（める）
As per 后 (Type 1 Phonetic) (keep out of sight) + 言 words → abuse (verbally, causing the victim to withdraw) → (put to) shame. Also, curse (v.).
颶 (17) ク；グ
風 wind + previous form of 具 (Type 1 Phonetic) to supply the sound note in giving written expression to a dialectal term referring to a typhoon (originating in the South China Sea).
齲 (24) ウ；ク；むしば
As per 禹 (Type 4 Phonetic) (serpentine creature) + 齒 the previous form of 歯 teeth → decayed tooth; cavity (believed to be caused by worm-like creatures).
漚 (14) オウ；あわ；ひた（す）
As per 區 (Type 1 Phonetic) the previous form of 区 (divide into small units) + 水 water → soak objects in separate compartments of water/liquid → foam; froth (← foam/froth produced by lengthy soaking).
呴 (8) ク；コウ
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 口 mouth → bend to blow upon something (such as one's hands, or a fire; compare 喣) → breathe (on); exhale.
姁 (8) ク；ばば
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 女 woman → old woman with a bent back (compare 佝 and 痀). Also, kind (← kind demeanor of an old woman).
痀 (10) ク
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 疒 illness → illness resulting in curvature of the spine → a hunchback. Compare 佝 and 姁.
喣 (12) ク
As per 呴 (Type 1 Phonetic) (bend to blow upon) + 火 fire → bend to blow upon and stoke a fire → breathe upon to warm up; exhale.
酗 (11) ク
凶 (Type 2 Phonetic) bad; terrible + 酉 alcohol container → act wildly under the influence of alcohol.
屨 (17) ク；くつ
As per 婁 (Type 3 Phonetic) (continuum) + an abbreviated form of 履 wear shoes → continuous strands of straw or hemp woven into sandals. Compare 屩.
喁 (12) グ；グウ；ギョウ；あぎと（う）
As per 禺 (Type 1 Phonetic) (monkey with a curving tail → curve) + 口 mouth → curved, gasping mouth displayed by a fish when it breaks the surface of the water → gasp for breath.
姤 (9) コウ；あ（う）
As per 后 (Type 1 Phonetic) (keep out of sight) + 女 woman → meet a woman clandestinely.
耇 (9) コウ；ク
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + an abbreviated form of 老 old → old person with a bent back (compare 佝) → the face of an elderly person (especially, one marked by liver spots).
笱 (11) コウ；ク
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 竹 bamboo → bamboo bent to create a fish trap.
堠 (12) コウ
As per 侯 (Type 1 Phonetic) (aim at a target → look toward) + 土 earth → raised earth (or earthen structure) from which to scan for the approach of enemies → raised earth serving as mileposts.
餱 (18) コウ
As per 侯 (Type 1 Phonetic) (aim at a target → look toward) + 食 food/eating → dried cooked rice carried as a provision (compare 糒 and 糗) or kept on hand in event of disaster.
彀 (13) コウ
Abbreviated form (Type 8 Phonetic) of 殻 (hard husk) + 弓 bow → draw a bowstring back against the hard frame of the bow → target (of an arrow). Also, fully (← draw back fully) → sufficient.
鷇 (21) コウ；ク
Abbreviated form (Type 8 Phonetic) of 殻 (hard husk) + 鳥 bird → shell from which chicks hatch.
摳 (14) コウ；ク；かか（げる）
As per 區 (Type 1 Phonetic) the previous form of 区 (bending line) + 手 hand/action indicator → bend the fingers and raise the hem of one's garment (compare 褰). Also, search for (← thrust one's fingers into a deep recess and bend them in looking for something).
蔲 (14) コウ
冦 (Type 1 Phonetic) alternate form of 寇 here in the atavistic sense derived from 完 of "cover/surround in protecting" + 艸 grass/plant → fruit or seed in a protective covering. The compound 荳蔲 (or 肉豆蔲) refers to nutmeg.
窳 (15) ユ；ゆが（む）
瓜 (Type 4 Phonetic) pendent, oval-shaped melon/gourd (doubled) + 穴 hole → curved recess in an object → warped; poor quality.
枸 (9) ク
As per 句 (Type 1 Phonetic) (cause to bend in demarcating a narrow space) + 木 tree/wood → a bent/bending tree. The compound 枸梛 refers to a tree resembling a willow, 枸櫞 to a lemon tree (Citrus limon), and 枸杞 to Lycium chinense (known in English variously as Chinese desert thorn, Chinese teaplant or [Chinese] wolfberry).
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Etymological Keypoints
This column of keypoints appears on each page of this online etymological dictionary of kanji, Chinese characters as used in Japan. For detailed information on any of the following topics, click the MORE hyperlinks to reach the appropriate sections of the Reference Page.
Types of Characters
Chinese characters are of three types: pictographs, ideographs and compound characters.
Pictographs
Pictographs are representations of concrete objects: moon, sun, river, mountain, bird, sword, mouth, hand and so on. Pictographs also account for nearly all of the radicals (or classifiers) as described below in the Compound Characters section. There are several hundred pictographs in all. MORE
Ideographs
The handful of ideographs among the Chinese characters convey abstract notions such as unity, concealment, extension etc. MORE
Compound Characters
Compound Characters are composed of two elements. The first element is a "radical" (or "classifier"). Character dictionaries assign nearly all characters to one of approximately 70 of these radicals.
The second element is a sound note, suggesting both the pronunciation and the meaning of the character. In a small number of compound characters the sound conveyed by the second element is anomalous, for which reason compound characters have traditionally been divided into phonetic compounds and semantic compounds.
MORE on Phonetic Compounds
MORE on Semantic Compounds
Phonetic elements (or sound notes) most often match that of the compound character precisely, such as 夬 KUAT and 決 KUAT. In other instances the initial or final consonants are altered: 甚 TAM and 勘 KAM; 胥 SAG and 婿 SAR. In a smaller number of cases the vowel is transposed: 而 NAG and 需 NUG. We also find phonetic elements functioning in other ways such as to convey onomatopoeic or mimetic sounds, to transliterate loan words and so on. There are eight types of sound notes in all. MORE
Word Formation In Proto-Chinese
This dictionary arranges Chinese characters according to word families of phonologically and semantically related terms. Building upon research undertaken by Bernhard Karlgren and Akiyasu Todo, the earliest sounds of the terms in proto-Chinese are reconstructed along the pattern Consonant-Vowel-Consonant. MORE
Initial consonants are K, L, M, N, P, S and T. The vowel in most terms is something between short A and E, here rendered as A. The vowel may also be O or U, and a number of word families feature the medial glide UA. Final consonants are G/K, NG, M, N, P, R and T.
Semantic Function of Consonants
Each initial consonant suggests a broad semantic background for characters beginning with that consonant. Here are the semantic indicators for each initial consonant, followed by a partial selection of the kinds of terms found in each initial consonant network.
Initial K- = Frame: boxes and containers; foundations of buildings; cavities; enclosed passageways; shackles/handcuffs; square tools; crossroads; humans, gates and other objects framing each other by standing in opposition; nuts in shells, grain in husks, beans/peas in a pod, shellfish in shells and other objects in containers; yokes; molds; footwear and garments that contain the body in full or part
Initial L- = Continuum: footpaths; literal and figurative belts; strips of material; stripes; dripping, flowing or trickling water/liquid; linked waves; patterned grain of wood; chains/cables; lengths of rope; interwoven vegetation; furrows; stretching vines
Initial M- = Conceal: the sun concealed (by darkness, cloud cover, vegetation); threads, insects, and heads of grain that are fine/tiny to the point of near-invisibility; persons concealed by passing away; fish nets or traps concealed beneath the surface of the water; physical/figurative blindness; concealing grass/vegetation; concealing curtains or pieces of cloth
Initial N- = Flexible: supple female bodies; supple body parts (ears, earlobes, droopy beard); vegetation/food softened/made supple by being heated; cloth/fabric softened in liquid; bodies wasted/softened by illness; swordblades and other flexible weapons; clinginess; seals created from softened clay; pliable hides; vines and other flexible objects that coil/twist about; gently bending arms and vegetation
Initial P- = Spread: goods spread for display/sale; food spread for a feast/meal; spreading leaves/vegetation; liquid/fragrance that spreads to right and left, or in all directions; liquid overflowing its container; hands spread to slap/strike, or to grip a handle; spreading wounds; spreading tiles; lightning spreading through the sky; waterplants spreading over the surface of water; sails and other types of spreading cloth; seeds spread through fields; pelts/fabric wrapped about the body; wings wrapped around a bird's body; sea creatures enveloped in shells; objects such as fabric or soft boards that spread in being folded back upon themselves
Initial S- = Small/Thin/Slender: piles of vegetation, plant matter, grain, food etc; piled rocks; piled earth; pile of wood shavings; objects that are cut/aligned irregularly; long or tall, slender objects such as masts, reeds, wells or fences; hairpins, phalluses, trails of liquid and other slender objects that penetrate tight spaces; fragments of metal, wood or bone; moss, coral, baby teeth and other small, tightly adhering objects; arrangements of small/fine objects such as thorns on a plant, birds in trees or sand on a beach; sheaves, wheel spokes converging in hubs, arrows compacted in a quiver and other tightly compressed objects
Initial T- = Straight: literal piles of objects such as firewood, meat, valuables or metal; figurative piles; lizards, snakes, wriggling insects and other straight creatures; the shuttle of a loom, a horizontal bar on a vehicle and other machines/machine parts that move in a straight line; straight movement in both vertical and horizontal directions; pipes, tubes, caverns and other straight, tubular objects; flames, gas, the sun and other rising objects
(Initial S terms represent a branch of the initial T group, emphasizing small/thin/slender applications of the idea of straightness.) MORE
Among the final consonants, the G/K ending suggests that the meaning of the character is directly connected with the main idea expressed by the initial consonant (see above). KAG/LAG/MAG/NAG/PAG/SAG/TAG and their final K variants KAK/LAK/MAK/NAK/PAK/SAK/TAK may be considered linguistic templates which the other finals modify to create more specific meanings for the relevant terms. Each of the remaining final consonants suggests a specific semantic nuance for the characters ending with that consonant. Here are the semantic indicators for each final consonant, followed by a partial selection of the kinds of terms found in each final consonant group.
Final -NG = Extend: bodies that stretch and/or go stiff; persons or objects standing in distant opposition; sound/fragrance drifting from one point to another, linking the two points in distant opposition; actions or processes that continue a long time, such as savoring food in the mouth, protracted spasms, lengthy songs or dramatic performances; endlessly flowing water; vegetation spreading out of sight; long strings of shells/jewels; writing/ornamentation spread at length over a surface; tall piles or long trails of objects; steam, vapor or gas that rises high in the air
Final -M = Encompass: people fallen into holes; food or other objects contained in the mouth; fruit encompassed by skin; grain encompassed by husks; objects covered by thick vegetation or by darkness; drenched objects; a fetus encompassed in a womb; needles, hairpins and other slender objects concealed in filling narrow spaces; cavities and containers filled with liquid
Final -N = Adhere/Be proximate: weapons contacting an enemy's body; contact of body parts with other objects; hunting/fishing implements contacting their targets; tightly knit groups of people, birds, fish and other creatures; tight rows of like objects; cloth tightly wrapped about (parts of) the body; roofs fit upon buildings; paired objects in close proximity; points of contact between land and water; proximate pieces of finely cut/chopped objects such as vegetation and food; objects lying flat on the ground
Final -P = Press: be pressed upon by attackers; objects sandwiched between others; objects exerting pressure downward, or directly upon the ground; tight compaction of like objects such as threads, insects or vegetation; human bodies pressing upon bedding or upon other human bodies
Final -R = Continuum: elongated objects such as garments or weapons; prolonged activity such as speech, prayer, singing, rituals, irrigation, erosion, carving, scraping, polishing or sharpening of knives; prolonged sensations such as reverberations, irritation or illness; continuous states or relationships such as human friendship, reverence of ancestors or the lasting effect of glue-like substances; neat lines of people or of objects such as eaves, fruit or footprints; abstract elongation such as in the slow passage of time
Final -T = Cut/Divide/Reduce: reduction in size by cutting of vegetation, carving of wood, or biting/chewing of food; division of objects such as in the splitting of logs or the ripping of cloth; reduction of empty space in objects such as rooms and containers, or in the covering of open space by vegetation or water; reduction in length such as in knotting a rope; reduction of darkness by the application of light; reduction of physical capacities on account of fatigue, illness, blindness or numbness; reduction of physical capacities of animals by trapping, tethering or penning them; reduction of emotional capacities on account of anger, distress or excitement MORE
Semantic Function of the O and U Vowels
The vowel O suggests the idea of curvature, sometimes extending to "curve and surround/envelop."The U vowel, when it is the lone vowel in a term (examples: KUG, LUG, SUG, TUNG) refers to a circle (whether full or nearly full) or to a bulky/lumpy mass. However, when the U vowel is employed as part of the diphthong UA (examples: KUAN/KUAR/KUAT, SUAN/SUAR/SUAT), the signification is most often the O vowel sense of curving/round.
Here are the semantic indicators for these vowels, followed by a partial selection of representative terms.
Vowel O = Curvature: backs bent with illness or age; tree branches or the necks of humans/animals bent with weight; contorted bodies; trees bent with decay; arched bridges; curved stretches of land or other natural phenomena such as caverns; winding constructions such as palaces and official buildings; birds or the sun curving into sight over the horizon; coiling vegetation, snakes or threads; curved movement such as in kneading or bending objects into shape, sweeping with a broom, or rowing a boat; bulging objects such as water jugs, gourds, pimples or pregnant bellies; curved objects such as eggs, nuts or colanders; objects with curved portions such as a swordblade, the hull of a boat, or a flag attached to a pole and flapping in the breeze; arcs formed by liquid poured from a container, or by humans/animals moving in a semi-circle
Vowel U = Circle/Mass: round objects such as baskets, huts or circular buildings; lumpy objects such as heads, hunched bodies, breasts; skin protuberances or tree stumps; massive objects such as pillars, ridgepoles, downed boars or heavy bells; crowds of people or swarms of insects/creatures; curved objects such as earthenware, roofs or animal horns; round cavities filled with fluid or occupied by bodies; circuitous trails, winding hills and other curved landscape features; masses of hair such as in topknots or shaggy dog fur; masses of grain/vegetation; heaps of food; tightly-massed inanimate objects such as ships in a harbor, spokes in a hub or precious stones in an accessory; objects compacted by hand or tightly grasped in the fist
Vowel UA = Curving/Round: melons; wings; hoops; baskets; round and tubular containers; pools of water; objects enclosed in the hands; crowns; arcs or halos of light; circular piles of vegetation; round fruit; barrels; revolving objects and other forms of rotating/circular movement; rounded mountain tops or hill peaks; round bundles of goods or of vegetation; curling of the fingertips or cupping of the hands; strips of cloth wrapped about and covering the eyes; bound objects such as scrolls and tablets; round fish eggs; blossoming buds; cylindrical tubes, skewers or blocks; puckering of the lips; persons or objects arranged in a circle; squatting figures; winding waterways or passages; round holes and tools for drilling round holes MORE
Sample Terms
Semantically related terms are by no means restricted to a single consonant network. Five kanji concerned with the humble pea or bean and their seed vessels (the pod) suggest why and how this is.
The KAP word family (Frame + Press) contains the character 莢, meaning "pod." Here, the twin sides of the seed vessel are visualized as framing elements that press against the peas or beans contained within.
In the KUAN word family (Frame + [Curving/Round] + Adhere/Be Proximate) we find 豌 ("pea"), referring to the round legumes contained in and adhering to the framing element, the pod.
The NAM word family (Flexible + Encompass/Conceal) has 荏 "beans," that is, beans covered and hidden by a flexible pod.
荅 "bean pod" belongs to the TAP word family (Straight + Press). Here, the emphasis is on the pod as a straight object the sides of which exert pressure upon the contents.
Finally, 荳 "bean" is a member of the TUG word family (Straight + Circle/Mass + Straight). In this case, the emphasis is on the round or lumpy shape of the bean contained in the straight object, the pod. MORE
Using the Dictionary
Hyperlinks to individual word families are located at the left side of this page. To look up individual characters, use the search box at top right or one of the four indices at the located at the top center of the page.
For ease of reference, characters presented within an etymology are hyperlinked to their full etymological explanation.
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Site Contents Copyright (C) 2004-2008 Lawrence J. Howell
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