童

servant, slave (archaic/original meaning)

In oracle bone script (甲骨文 jiǎgǔwén), 童 depicted the cruel punishment of blinding with a sharp tool, symbolizing slaves — hence its association with 奴 (노예).

This is related to the origin of 民 (백성 민), which also shows a blinded eye.

In bronze inscriptions (金文 jinwen), the phonetic element 東 (동녘 동) was added, clarifying the sound value.

Thus, the original meaning was “young male slave,” but over time it broadened to mean simply “child.”

Because of its grim etymology, in children’s primers the character is often explained differently, e.g. as 立(설 립) ‘stand’ + 里(마을 리) ‘village’ = “a child standing in the village.”

兒童 (아동) — children

童年 (동년) — childhood

童話 (동화) — fairy tale

童子 (동자) — boy, young monk

童工 (동공) — child labor