jiǎn

simple

Original meaning: 

bamboo strips for writing

Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and represents the sound. The character is based on the original meaning "bamboo strips for writing". The meaning later shifted to "letter", "concise", and "simple".

Components
⺮ meaning component

  Meaning component

zhú

  

bamboo

⺮ is a component form of .

間 sound component

  Sound component

jiānjiàn

  

space

Evolution

簡 Bronze script Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze script

Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
簡 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

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

Clerical script

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

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

() 

jiǎn

simple, terse, succinct; letter; simple; uncomplicated; to choose; to select; bamboo strips used for writing (old)

Most common words with 簡
Freq.
Word
Meaning

简单

simple

简直

simply

简称

abbreviation

simple

简历

résumé