• appearance;
  • to contain;
  • to accept;

Etymology

Phono-semantic compound:

宀 (집 면) – semantic component, representing a house/roof, implying “to hold something inside.”

公 (공변될 공) – phonetic component.

Over time, the 公 component transformed in shape and now visually resembles 谷 (골 곡) in the modern form (宀 + 谷).

Usage in Korean

It frequently appears in names and generational markers (항렬) and is also common in compounds like:

容貌 (용모) – facial features, appearance;

包容 (포용) – tolerance, embracing;

容量 (용량) – capacity.

Additional notes

Its meaning broadened to include “accept, include, tolerate” and eventually “appearance, face”—an essential hanja used widely in names, literature, and compound words across East Asian languages.

In Chinese character classification, 容 is sometimes listed under the “穴” radical group (relating to spaces and cavities).

In Korean naming tradition, 容 is a common generational name character.

얼굴
eolgul
yong
Kangxi radical:40, + 7
Strokes:10
Unicode:U+5BB9
Cangjie input:
  • 十金人口 (JCOR)
Composition:
  • ⿱ 宀 谷

Characters next to each other in the list

References