陵

By extension it is specifically used to refer to the burial mounds of emperors and kings.

In East Asian historical usage, it carries strong royal, imperial, and funerary connotations.

A phono-semantic compound:

阜 (부) — semantic component, hill, raised land

夌 (릉) — phonetic component, provides the sound

The structure clearly emphasizes elevated terrain, which naturally led to its specialized use for large burial mounds, especially those of rulers.

능묘 (陵墓) — royal tomb

황릉 (皇陵) — imperial tomb

왕릉 (王陵) — king’s tomb

영릉 (英陵) — name of a specific royal tomb

산릉 (山陵) — tomb mound in a mountainous area

From early Chinese history onward, 陵 became the standard term for imperial tombs, distinguishing them from ordinary graves (墓).

Famous examples include:

秦始皇陵 — the tomb of Qin Shi Huang (the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China)

英陵 — the joint tomb of King Sejong and Queen Soheon of Joseon Korea

In Korea, 능 (陵) is strictly reserved for royal and imperial burials, while commoners are buried in 묘 (墓).

陵 conveys authority, dignity, and elevation, both physically and symbolically.

It is rarely used alone in modern speech, but remains highly productive in historical, archaeological, and cultural contexts.

In East Asian naming conventions, tomb names ending in -陵 often carry posthumous honorific meaning, not merely geographical reference.