Definitions
why; how; when; what; where
Etymology
Depicts a type of fruit with something cut off from it. The component that depicts the fruit was later reanalyzed as phonetic component 匃. Based on the original meaning "cut fruit". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
About
The character 曷 is an interrogative pronoun in classical Chinese, meaning "why", "what", "how", or "when". Its structure features 曰 (yuē, "to speak") at the top, reflecting its question-asking function, above a lower component resembling 勹 (bāo) enclosing 人 (rén). Historically, its core meaning relates to inquiry, often appearing in ancient rhetorical questions or inquiries about time. In later usage, it remained largely confined to formal or classical contexts as a grammatical interrogative, not a noun or verb for objects or actions.
Etymology Hide
