Definitions

kǔn honest, sincere; loyal, true

Etymology phono-semantic

heart

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound: the heart radical on the left indicates the meaning, while the phonetic component on the right supplies the pronunciation. The heart radical places the character within the realm of inner feelings, specifically sincerity, genuineness, and earnestness of thought. The character expresses true, unfiltered emotions and frequently appears in classical compounds to describe an honest disposition or an earnest plea devoid of superficiality or deception.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern