Definitions
(noun)
corner; nook
Etymology
About
旯 (lá) is a simple character composed of 日 (rì, sun) above 九 (jiǔ, nine). Its etymological origins and structural logic are obscure, and it doesn't function as a standard phono-semantic compound. In modern Chinese, it serves primarily as a phonetic element and bound morpheme with little independent meaning. It appears exclusively in the colloquial compound 旮旯 (gālá), a regional term from northern Chinese dialects meaning a small, secluded corner, a hidden nook, or a remote place where sunlight rarely reaches.