About
A phono-semantic compound, 衩 uses the clothing radical 衤 on the left to connect it to garments. The right component 叉 provides the phonetic value and also adds a visual semantic layer: it means a fork or branching, which illustrates the object's shape. The character originally referred to the vent or slit cut into the lower sides of a robe or skirt for ease of movement. Later, its meaning expanded to include short, unlined garments or undergarments like underpants, often with different pronunciations depending on whether it refers to the garment slit or the specific item.