基

Formed as a phono-semantic compound:

土 (earth, soil) provides the semantic component, symbolizing ground or foundation.

其 (that, its; phonetic) provides the sound.

Originally referred to the base or lower part of an earthen wall, and by extension came to mean foundation, groundwork, basis in both physical and abstract senses.

Semantic range:

- foundation, base (터, 기초, 바탕);

- principle, fundamental (기본, 근본);

- starting point, groundwork;

- by extension, standard or model.

기초 (基礎) — foundation, groundwork

기본 (基本) — basis, essential

근기 (根基) — root, foundation

토대 (基地) — base, site, stronghold

공기 (攻基) — attacking the base (military term)

In Confucian and philosophical discourse, 基 is often paired with 礎 (초, cornerstone) as 基礎, symbolizing the moral and intellectual groundwork of a person or society.

It is also widely used in modern contexts—science (genetics: 基因 “gene”), politics (基地 “base, stronghold”), and education (기초 학문 “basic studies”)—to emphasize that all advancement rests on solid foundations.