琴

Originally the guqin (古琴) in China, but by extension also the Korean geomungo (거문고), gayageum (가야금), Japanese koto (箏), and related zithers.

Originally an ideogrammic pictograph later reshaped into a phono-semantic form:

Early form 珡 depicted the instrument’s strings and bridges.

Later reinterpreted as a compound:

玉 (구슬 옥, “jade”) ×2 — semantic, suggesting preciousness or resonance.

今 (이제 금, “now”) — phonetic, giving the sound 금.

The development shows both pictographic origin (zither shape) and later phonetic reinforcement.

The character also extends metaphorically to music, refinement, and harmony in relationships.

거문고 (琴) — Korean traditional zither

가야금 (伽倻琴) — Gayageum

현금 (絃琴) — general string instruments

금슬 (琴瑟) — harmony between husband and wife, figuratively from “qin and se (zithers) played together”

Closely linked to 瑟 (슬, “large zither”) — the two often appear together as 琴瑟, symbolizing harmony.