內

Structure:

冂 (멀 경) – represents an enclosure or surrounding area;

入 (들 입) – functions as the phonetic element but also contributes meaning (“to enter”).

Meaning development:

Derived from the verb 入 (to enter).

When combined with 冂 (enclosure), it came to mean “that which is inside” → “inner, interior.”

Oracle bone & bronze inscriptions (金文 jinwen):

Originally written with 入 inside 冂, not overlapping.

In bronze script, 冂 sometimes resembled 宀 (the roof radical).

Clerical script (隸書 lìshū) onward:

Two forms developed: 內 (full form) and 内 (simplified form).

康熙字典 (강희자전) standardized 內 as the “proper” form.

It is widely used in compounds like 國內 (domestic), 內心 (inner heart), and 內外 (inside and outside).

內 and 入 are considered cognates (동계어) by some scholars.

Related characters believed to share this root:

入 (들 입) – to enter

納 (들일 납) – to receive, to accept

衲 (기울 납) – to mend

妠 (장가들 납) – to marry

Some people casually write 內 with 人 (person) (内) instead of 入 (enter) at the bottom. This substitution doesn’t change the meaning, but technically 入 is correct.