蕃

It is a phono-semantic compound, composed of:

艸 (“grass, vegetation”) as the semantic element;

番 (beon, “turn, series”) as the phonetic element.

The original sense reflects vegetation growing thickly and spreading abundantly.

蕃 carries the imagery of vegetation spreading thickly and developed metaphorically into meanings of flourishing, prospering, and multiplying in East Asian languages.

In modern Korean, 번 (蕃) is seen mostly in literary, historical, or compound words:

번성 (蕃盛) – prosperity, flourishing

번식 (蕃殖) – breeding, reproduction

번무 (蕃茂) – luxuriant growth (esp. vegetation)

번영 (蕃榮) – prosperity, thriving