掘

A phono-semantic compound consisting of:

手 (hand) — semantic component, indicates manual action;

屈 — phonetic component, supplying the sound (굴 / jué).

Originally, it referred to digging earth by bending or pushing inward (屈 implies bending).

Semantic development:

- to dig soil;

- to excavate ground;

- to uncover hidden objects;

- to discover talent or truth (metaphorical).

The meaning expanded from physical digging to intellectual discovery.

In Korean, 掘 appears mainly in technical or formal vocabulary.

굴착 (掘鑿) — excavation

발굴 (發掘) — excavation; discovery

굴진 (掘進) — tunneling; excavation progress

掘 emphasizes active digging motion, especially downward or inward.

Related characters:

鑿 — to bore; to chisel

削 — to cut

屈 — to bend (phonetic base)

挖 — to dig