• rhyme, tone;
  • charm, lingering sound;

phonetic element in syllables (finals in phonology)

Etymology

Phono-semantic compound:

音 (음, sound) – semantic component, indicating sound/voice

員 (원, member, number) – phonetic component, providing the reading

Originally denoted the “resonance of sound,” later extended to mean rhyme in poetry and, more abstractly, charm or lingering tone.

Usage in Korean

押韻 (압운) — to rhyme

韻律 (운률) — prosody, rhythm

韻母 (운모) — final (phonological term)

餘韻 (여운) — lingering sound, aftertaste, impression

韻味 (운미) — refined charm, subtle flavor

Additional notes

Common in literary Chinese and poetry, especially to describe rhyming schemes.

In modern Chinese, besides “rhyme,” it is also used metaphorically for charm, elegance, or style.

un
un
Kangxi radical:180, + 10
Strokes:19
Unicode:U+97FB
Cangjie input:
  • 卜日口月金 (YARBC)
Composition:
  • ⿰ 音 員

Neighboring characters in the dictionary

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