電

An associative compound:

雨 (“rain”) represents a meteorological phenomenon.

申 (depicting a zig-zag form of lightning) represents the image of lightning striking from the sky.

Combined, they signify “lightning from the sky.”

電氣 (전기) – electricity;

電話 (전화) – telephone;

電報 (전보) – telegram;

電子 (전자) – electron, electronic;

電腦 (전뇌) – computer (lit. “electric brain”);

電影 (전영) – movie, film (lit. “electric shadow”);

電光石火 (전광석화) – “as fast as lightning,” extreme swiftness.

In East Asian languages, 電 came to represent “electricity” in modern vocabulary after the introduction of Western science.

It remains one of the most productive characters in modern scientific and technical compounds.