Definitions
hair; sunlight
Etymology
Pictograph of strands of hair.
About
The character "彡" derives from early pictorial representations of hair or feather streaks, with its structure of three slanting strokes consistently symbolizing strands or lines. Etymologically, it functioned as a radical denoting decoration, texture, or appearance, and its standalone meaning transitioned from concrete references to hair or feathers toward abstract associations with patterning and adornment. In modern usage, it primarily acts as a semantic component in characters related to form, color, or embellishment, such as "形" and "彩", while its simple tripartite form has remained unchanged.
Etymology Hide
