識

Originally, 戠 carried several meanings, but with the addition of 言, the compound came to mean “to know by hearing words,” and thus acquired the sense of “to know, to recognize.”

It is a phono-semantic compound, composed of:

言 (“speech, words”) as the semantic element;

戠 (si, originally “clay, soil lump”) as the phonetic element.

In Korean usage, 식 (識) is found in many Sino-Korean compounds relating to knowledge, recognition, or consciousness:

지식 (知識) – knowledge

인식 (認識) – recognition, awareness

상식 (常識) – common sense

기록 (記錄, with 識 in older usage) - to record

표식 (標識) – mark, sign

의식 (意識) – consciousness

식별 (識別) – identification, discernment

In older or specialized contexts, the meaning “flag, banner” also survives, though this is rare in modern Korean.