About
The character "霰" is structured with the radical "雨" representing rain or atmospheric phenomena and the component "散" which functions as both a phonetic indicator and a semantic element meaning to scatter, thus etymologically conveying the concept of scattered ice pellets. Its meaning has historically referred to a type of frozen precipitation, often described in early texts as granular ice or frozen rain, and over centuries its usage has become more specific to denote sleet or graupel in modern contexts. The character's form has remained consistent, with the components directly illustrating the nature of sleet as dispersed ice particles falling from the sky.
Etymology Hide
