實

The character consists of:

宀 (갓머리, “roof”) — indicating a house or enclosed space;

毌 (꿰뚫을 관) — a character related to threading or piercing;

貝 (조개 패, “cowrie shell”) — a symbol of money or value in ancient China.

Together, the 毌 + 貝 component forms 貫 (“to string together”), often referring to a string of pierced coins (a traditional way of storing currency).

By placing this inside a roof radical, the image implies a house full of wealth or stored value, which later metaphorically came to mean “fruit” (as in the fruit of effort) or “substance”.

From its literal meaning of fruit, the character developed abstract meanings such as:

- truth, reality (사실 (事實) - fact);

- substance, essence;

- fulfillment or actualization (실제 (實際) - actual, 실현 (實現) - realization).