哺

A phono-semantic compound consisting of:

口 (mouth) — semantic component, indicates relation to eating or feeding;

甫 — phonetic component, supplying the sound (포 / bǔ).

The original sense was giving food into someone’s mouth.

Semantic development:

- to feed by mouth;

- to nurse (infants);

- to nurture and raise;

- to repay kindness (metaphorical extension).

In Korean, 哺 appears mainly in compound words related to nurturing.

포육 (哺育) — to nurture; to rear

포유 (哺乳) — to nurse; to breastfeed

포식 (哺食) — feeding (rare, literary)

哺 emphasizes the act of feeding another person or being.

Related characters:

乳 — milk; breast

育 — to raise

養 — to nourish

食 — to eat

The term 哺乳類 (mammals) literally means “milk-feeding category,” reflecting the biological trait of nursing offspring.

The idiom 反哺 comes from the idea of young birds feeding their parents in gratitude, symbolizing filial piety.