層

Phono-semantic compound:

尸 (corpse radical, later used as roof/shelter form) — semantic, here suggesting structure or covering.

曾 (ceng/증, once, formerly) — phonetic, also originally depicting stacked roofs or multi-layered steamers, evoking the sense of piling and repetition.

Thus, 層 originally depicted something piled one atop another, and came to mean “layer” both in physical and abstract senses.

Semantic range:

- physical layer (geology, strata, sediment, fabric, etc.);

- story/floor of a building;

- figurative: level, rank, class, stage.

지층 (地層) — geological stratum

건물층 (建物層) — floor of a building

고층 (高層) — high-rise, upper story

저층 (低層) — lower story

층간소음 (層間騷音) — inter-floor noise