答

It is a phono-semantic compound, composed of:

竹 (bamboo) – semantic element, since bamboo slips were once used for writing;

合 (hap, “to join, to combine”) – phonetic element.

Before the invention of paper, answers or replies were often written on bamboo slips. From this practice, 答 came to mean “to respond, to answer.”

In Korean, it is the primary character associated with the rare reading "dap", making it a key morpheme in vocabulary relating to answers and responses.

답 (答) – answer, reply

대답 (對答) – answer, reply

해답 (解答) – solution, answer

응답 (應答) – response

질문과 답 (質問–答) – questions and answers