About
艎 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 舟 (boat) on the left and the phonetic component 皇 (huáng) on the right. The boat radical places its meaning in the nautical category, indicating a type of large, swift vessel or ferry. The component 皇, meaning emperor or royal, provides the pronunciation. The character is most commonly found in the binomial compound "艟艎" (chōnghuáng), referring to ancient warships or large transport vessels used in historical naval fleets.
Etymology Hide
