墓

Formed as a phono-semantic compound:

土 (earth, soil) supplies the semantic component, indicating burial in the ground.

莫 (not, none; also phonetic element) supplies the phonetic value.

The original imagery suggests earth piled up (土) as a mound marking the place of the dead, with 莫 lending its sound.

Semantic range:

- a grave, tomb (무덤);

- a burial mound, sepulcher (분묘);

- by extension, any monumental resting place of the dead.

묘지 (墓地) — graveyard, cemetery

분묘 (墳墓) — grave, tomb

고분묘 (古墳墓) — ancient burial mound

왕묘 (王墓) — royal tomb

In Confucian tradition, the 묘 (墓) is not merely a physical grave but a sacred site of filial piety (孝) and ancestral reverence. Visiting and maintaining ancestral tombs (often during 성묘 at Chuseok or other memorial rites) is considered a moral duty, linking the living with their lineage. The concept of 묘 extends beyond burial to signify continuity of family, respect for ancestors, and the moral order connecting past and present.