About
The character "楮" is structured with the semantic component "木", denoting its relation to trees or plants, combined with the phonetic component "者", which historically provided a sound cue. Etymologically, it originally referred specifically to the paper mulberry tree, a plant whose inner bark was a primary material for papermaking in ancient China. This direct utilitarian link between the tree and the production of writing material facilitated a semantic shift, whereby "楮" gradually acquired the extended meaning of paper itself, often used in classical texts to refer to the finished product.
Etymology Hide
