Definitions
variant of 關|关[guān]
Etymology
About
関 is a variant and simplified form of the traditional character 關, which means a mountain pass, a barrier, or the act of closing. It contains the semantic component 門 (door, gateway), providing the frame of barriers and closures. Inside, the component 关 serves primarily as a phonetic clue, but its independent meanings of shutting or joining also reinforce the character's sense. The traditional 關 has a more complex inner component 𢇇, representing the threads and shuttle of a loom, a metaphor for a mechanism that locks a gate. The variant 関 replaces this with the simpler 关, streamlining the shape while preserving the original meanings.
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