圓

Phono-semantic compound:

囗 (enclosure radical) — semantic, meaning “surrounded, enclosed.”

員 (member, round shape) — phonetic, providing the sound yuán and the sense of circularity or fullness.

Originally, 圓 depicted something enclosed and complete within a boundary — symbolizing perfection or wholeness.

The association of 圓 with currency arose during the Tang and Song dynasties, when round coins became the standard.

The character came to denote a unit of silver or copper currency and later became the standard name for money across East Asia:

圓 (원 / won) — Korean won (₩)

圓 (円 / en) — Japanese yen (¥), simplified to 円 in modern Japanese.

圓 (元 / yuán) — Chinese yuan (¥), simplified in Mainland China.

These terms share a common origin in the symbolic notion of “roundness” as completeness and value.

Cultural note:

In East Asian philosophy, the circle (圓) symbolizes perfection, balance, and the cyclical nature of existence.

In Buddhism, the term 圓滿 (원만 / yuánmǎn) means “complete,” “perfected,” or “attaining full enlightenment.”

In Confucian and Daoist thought, roundness also connotes adaptability, moral harmony, and emotional balance — the ideal of being both firm in principle and gentle in manner (方以立，圓以行 — “Square in stance, round in action”).