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The character 支 is a phono-semantic compound formed by combining 又 (hand) and 十 (representing a bamboo branch). It is said to have derived the meaning of "to support" or "to hold up" from the image of elderly people using a bamboo staff to support their bodies.

When used as a semantic radical, it generally conveys meanings related to "branching out" or "splitting into separate branches." However, more commonly, it functions as a phonetic component indicating the sound of the character rather than its meaning.

#57 — bow (for shooting arrows)

#58 — pig head/snout

#59 — hair

#60 — to walk a little, to take small steps

#61 — heart, mind, center, core

#62 — dagger-axe, spear (an ancient Chinese weapon similar to a halberd)

#63 — door, house number, house, home

#64 — hand

#65 — to support, to bear, to sustain, to calculate, to branch off

#66 — to hit, strike

#67 — script, writing, letter

#68 — measuring vessel, horse

#69 — axe

#70 — square, direction

#71 — none, not exist

#72 — day, sun

#73 — to say, to speak

Explore the meaning, etymology and usage of this Chinese character. Learn its radical and how it is applied in Korean language.

Chinese character

Explore 214 Chinese radicals and their derived characters. Sort by radical or stroke count, and view the complete list of official Hanja radicals.

Chinese characters (Hanja)

Chinese characters dictionary

支

Etymology

Usage in Korean

Neighboring radicals in the dictionary

References