端

It is a phono-semantic compound, composed of:

立 (rip, “to stand”) – semantic element, symbolizing uprightness and stability;

耑 (dan, “end, edge”) – phonetic element, also reinforcing the meaning “extremity.”

Semantic range:

- end, extremity – the far end or tip of something.

- aspect, side – one side or part of a matter.

- clue, beginning – as in 端緖 (단서, clue, lead).

- upright, proper, correct – by extension from the sense of “standing straight.”

- to hold, to carry – as in holding something by its end.

It remains a versatile and widely used morpheme in East Asian languages, appearing in contexts from physical ends of objects to moral uprightness and clues in reasoning.

단서 (端緖) – clue, beginning

일단 (一端) – one side, an aspect

극단 (極端) – extremity, extreme

정단 (正端) – uprightness, correctness

선단 (船端) – prow, end of a ship