letter

Original meaning: 

raise up children

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. The (roof) component is based on the original meaning "raise up children". The meaning later shifted to "educate", "word", and "writing".

Components
宀 meaning component

  Meaning component

mián

  

roof

子 sound,meaning component

  Sound Meaning component

zi

  

child

Evolution

字 Bronze script Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze script

Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
字 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
字 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
字 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

letter, character, word; letter; symbol; character; word; CL:|[gè]; courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China

Most common words with 字
Freq.
Word
Meaning

名字

name (of a person or thing)

letter

数字

numeral

文字

character

签字

signature

Component uses

Sound component in 1 character (0 verified)