準

Phono-semantic compound:

水 (water radical) – semantic, indicating water, level, measurement.

隼 (falcon, phonetic element “jun”) – phonetic, providing the sound.

The original imagery relates to a plumb line in water or a “water needle,” symbolizing measurement, alignment, and standards.

Semantic range:

- standard, model, norm (기준, 準則);

- to compare, to match, to be nearly equal (견주다, 버금가다);

- water level, measuring tool.

기준 (基準) – standard, criterion

준수 (準繩) – compliance, law-abiding

표준 (標準) – standard, norm

준비 (準備) – preparation

준거 (準據) – basis, reference

The earliest sense was “water needle”, a device for measuring level and alignment.

By extension, it came to mean rule, model, standard in both practical and abstract contexts.