最

Phono-semantic compound, but with a somewhat complex history:

Composed of 冃 (ancient form of 帽, “cap, cover”) above and 取 (“to take, seize”) below.

In early forms, 冃 sometimes appears instead as 冖 or 宀, producing variant forms 冣 and 㝡.

During the transition from seal script to clerical/regular script, the upper 冃 was graphically altered into 曰 (“to say”), resulting in the current form 最.

The underlying sense is “taking to the utmost, at the very top.”

Its graphic evolution shows how phonetic/semantic substitutions (冃 → 曰) gradually produced today’s standardized form.

Semantic range:

- most, the greatest in degree or extent;

- superlative marker (“the most ~” before adjectives);

- figuratively, “the utmost, the pinnacle, the best.”

最大 (최대) – the greatest, maximum

最高 (최고) – the highest, supreme

最小 (최소) – the smallest, minimum

最近 (최근) – most recent

最初 (최초) – the very first

The character is commonly used as a prefix in superlatives in Sino-Korean, Sino-Japanese, and modern Chinese.