骨

It is a compound ideograph formed by combining:

肉 (육) – representing flesh,

冎 (과) – a pictograph showing the skull and upper bones like the spine or shoulder blades.

The 冎 component is said to resemble the skull, neck bones, and shoulder bones of a cow, and the full character expresses “bone within flesh.”

As a semantic radical, 骨 appears in characters related to the skeleton, human or animal body, or internal structure.

Examples:

髓 (수) – marrow

體 (체) – body, form

骸 (해) – remains, skeleton

These characters reflect meanings tied to anatomy, structure, and bodily form.

In summary, 骨 not only depicts the shape and function of bones, but also serves as a meaningful radical in many body-related characters.