About
As a phono-semantic compound, 檎 pairs the wood radical 木 (mù) on the left, which classifies it among trees, with the phonetic component 禽 (qín) on the right, which indicates its pronunciation. This character was created to name a specific fruit-bearing tree, most commonly seen in the compound 林檎 (línqín), meaning a small apple or crabapple native to East Asia. Its use is specialized, appearing mainly in botanical or historical texts, and reflects early agricultural categorization.