About
The character 柘 is structured as a phono-semantic compound with the semantic component 木, indicating its relation to trees, and the phonetic component 石, which guides its pronunciation. It originally denoted the Cudrania tricuspidata tree, a plant whose tough wood was used for tools and from which a yellow dye could be extracted, leading to the character also representing that color. Over time, while its primary meaning remained the tree itself, it became employed in geographical names without significant deviation from its botanical origin.
Etymology Hide
