Definitions

ǎi mist; haze; cloudy sky

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

, meaning mist, haze, or cloudy atmosphere, is the simplified form of . The traditional character combines the rain radical with the phonetic . In the simplified , the complex lower component is replaced by , which provides the sound while reducing strokes. Thus, it is a phonosemantic compound: indicates the weather-related meaning, and indicates the pronunciation. The character consistently describes dense atmospheric moisture or obscuring vapour.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern