• to look for, to seek;
  • to visit;
  • to ask, to inquire;

Etymology

Phono-semantic compound:

言 (speech, words) - semantic element, indicating “to speak, to ask.”

方 (square, direction, 방) - phonetic element, providing the sound.

Thus the character conveys the idea of asking in words while going in a direction, i.e., visiting or inquiring.

Usage in Korean

訪問 (방문) — visit, call on

訪客 (방객) — visitor, guest

訪談 (방담) — interview, conversation

探訪 (탐방) — to explore, to make a visit

訪求 (방구) — to search for, to inquire after

Additional notes

Still actively used in Korean and Japanese compounds.

In modern Chinese, the sense of “visit” (访问, fǎngwèn) is most common, also used for “interview” (e.g., 訪談).

In classical Chinese, it also had the sense of inquiring about someone or something.

찾을
chajeul
bang
Kangxi radical:149, + 4
Strokes:11
Unicode:U+8A2A
Cangjie input:
  • 卜口卜竹尸 (YRYHS)
Composition:
  • ⿰ 訁 方

Neighboring characters in the dictionary

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