便

Originally meant “to make things easier or more comfortable for a person”, later extended to mean “convenience,” “notification,” and by borrowing, even “excrement.”

Ideogrammic compound:

人 (person) – represents a human figure;

更 (gēng / to change) – originally depicted a hand striking a hanging bell (上部 ‘一+由’ resembles a bell; 下部 is a hand).

Suggests “changing a situation for comfort”, “convenient.”

Over time, 便 was also borrowed to represent bowel and urinary functions — since relieving oneself was linked to comfort.

편하다 / convenient, comfortable – e.g., 方便 (방편, convenience), 便宜 (편의, advantage).

똥오줌 / excrement, bodily functions – a borrowed meaning; appears in compounds like 大便 (대변, stool) and 小便 (소변, urine).

To inform, to notify – as seen in 便紙 (편지, letter).