伴

A phono-semantic compound:

人 (person) — semantic component, indicates a human relationship

半 (반, half) — phonetic component, provides the sound and the idea of “one side / the other half”

The underlying idea is “a person who forms the other half”, which naturally develops into the meaning of companion or partner.

The sense of “half” (半) embedded in the character reinforces the idea of mutual presence.

Over time, meanings expanded:

physical companionship → social relationship → abstract association.

This makes 伴 especially productive in compounds describing co-occurrence.

동반 (同伴) — accompaniment; going together

반려 (伴侶) — companion in life; spouse

수반하다 (隨伴하다) — to accompany; to be attended by

반주 (伴奏) — musical accompaniment

Related characters:

侶 — companion; partner

隨 — to follow

陪 — to accompany

同 — together

半 — half (phonetic root)

Unlike 僚 or 寮, 伴 does not imply official rank or institution, only companionship.

The character is neutral in tone and can describe:

- friendship

- marital partnership

- incidental accompaniment