果
- fruit;
- result, outcome;
- decisive, resolute;
Etymology
Pictograph (originally debated as ideograph or compound):
木 (tree) with multiple 口 (fruit shapes) above – representing a tree laden with fruit.
In oracle bone script, it depicted fruit borne on a tree.
From “fruit” (literal), the meaning extended metaphorically to “result, outcome” and “to act decisively.”
Usage in Korean
과일 (果實) – fruit
결과 (結果) – result, outcome
과연 (果然) – indeed, just as expected
과감 (果敢) – resolute, bold
Additional notes
Closely related character: 實 (fruit, reality, substance).
In early Chinese simplification (二簡字), 果 was once used to replace 裹 (“wrap in grain”) due to phonetic overlap, but this usage was later abolished.