Definitions

sōu to blow (as of wind); sound of wind; sough

Etymology

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

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is the simplified form of the traditional character , a phono-semantic compound. Its left side is the wind radical ( in traditional script), which categorizes it within the realm of weather and air currents. The right side, (sǒu), serves as the phonetic component. The character's core meaning is the sound of blowing wind, the whistling, soughing, or rustling noise produced by a brisk or sudden gust. In literary usage, it frequently appears in onomatopoeic binomials alongside other wind-related characters, capturing the characteristic sound of cold or autumnal breezes.

Etymology Hide

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