店

店 is a phono-semantic compound composed of:

广 (엄호) — “house, shelter” (semantic element), signifying a building.

占 (점칠 점) — phonetic component, providing the sound diàn / jeom and suggesting occupation or possession.

Originally, the meaning was a place occupied for trading — a building used for business or accommodation.

商店 (상점) — store, shop

飯店 (반점) — restaurant, hotel (esp. in modern Chinese “hotel”)

酒店 (주점) — tavern, bar

書店 (서점) — bookstore

茶店 (찻집) — teahouse

藥店 (약점) — pharmacy

百貨店 (백화점) — department store

支店 (지점) — branch office or subsidiary

古董店 (고동점) — antique shop

The character 店 reflects the transformation of trade in Chinese civilization from nomadic marketplaces under makeshift roofs (广) to fixed buildings where artisans and merchants settled. It shows permanent commercial culture.

In Korea and Japan, 店 retains the same core meaning:

Korean: 점 (as in 상점 “store,” 서점 “bookstore”).

Japanese: みせ (mise), same meaning.

In both, the word’s use extended metaphorically to branches (支店) or commercial enterprises.

店 can also carry figurative nuance — representing a place of exchange not just for goods, but for ideas or hospitality.

In literature, a “small inn (小店)” often evokes imagery of warmth, rest, and fleeting encounters along a traveler’s journey.