Definitions

jiā to sit cross-legged

Etymology phono-semantic

foot

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound combining the semantic radical (foot) on the left, which points to feet, legs, and related physical actions, with the phonetic (jiā) on the right. The character specifically means sitting cross-legged, especially in meditation or Buddhist contexts, and appears almost exclusively in the term 结跏趺坐, the full lotus posture. In this way, the foot radical and the pronunciation from together denote this specialized seated position.