箇

Phono-semantic compound:

竹 (bamboo) – semantic component, hinting that the character originally referred to something made of bamboo (a bamboo section or container);

固 (solid, firm) – phonetic component, providing the sound "gù."

Originally, it likely referred to a single bamboo segment or piece. From this concrete meaning, it developed into a general classifier.

Semantic development:

- bamboo segment;

- single item;

- general classifier.

Over time, 箇 became a general measure word and was later replaced in common usage by 個 and the simplified 个.

Historically, 箇 was used to represent the counter “개” but native counter 개 does not use Hanja in modern orthography.

箇中 (개중) – “among them”;

箇箇 (개개) – “each and every”.

In Classical Chinese, 箇 meant a bamboo segment/container, but later broadened to mean “a piece” or “an individual unit.”

Conceptual notes:

箇 → 個 → 个

This shows orthographic evolution:

箇 (original bamboo-based form);

個 (human radical added, semantic shift toward individual unit);

个 (simplified form).

The radical shift from 竹 to 人 reflects the semantic move: bamboo segment → general individual unit.

Related characters:

個 — individual; classifier

个 — simplified classifier

枚 — classifier for small objects

條 — classifier for long objects

箇 represents an early stage of the general classifier system.