Definitions

chà branching stream

Etymology

A stream  that forks also provides the pronunciation

About

The character "汊" is structured with the water radical (氵) combined with the component "叉", which denotes a fork or bifurcation, directly indicating its meaning of a branching stream or river tributary. Its etymology is transparent from this composition, and the character has consistently represented this specific hydrological feature without substantial shift in its semantic application.