團

Originally meaning “something round or rolled together,” 團 came to signify “a mass or collection,” and later, more abstractly, “a group of people united for a purpose.”

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

囗 (에워쌀 위) — semantic component, meaning “enclosure” or “surrounding,” indicating a circular or collective form.

專 (오로지 전) — phonetic component, giving the sound dan (단) and implying concentration or focus.

Together, they depict something enclosed and unified, symbolizing a rounded mass or an organized whole.

圓團 (원단) — perfectly round; united circle

團體 (단체) — group; organization; association

集團 (집단) — collective; corporation; conglomerate

團結 (단결) — unity; solidarity

團員 (단원) — member (of a group or association)

青年團 (청년단) — youth organization

樂團 (악단) — orchestra; band

合唱團 (합창단) — choir

舞蹈團 (무도단) — dance troupe

社團 (사단) — social club; organization

糰子 (단자) — dumpling; round ball of food (esp. in Chinese)

瓊團 (경단) — sweet rice ball; literal “jade dumpling”

The round form (團) has long symbolized perfection, harmony, and unity in East Asian thought.

A circle has no beginning or end — it embodies continuity, balance, and inclusiveness.

Thus, 團 extends beyond its literal meaning of “roundness” to represent togetherness and completeness, whether physical (a ball), emotional (harmony), or social (unity).

「團圓」 — “reunion,” literally “to be round again,” signifies family unity and wholeness, especially during festivals like 中秋節 (Mid-Autumn Festival), when the full moon symbolizes reunion.

「團結就是力量。」

“Unity is strength.” — modern Chinese proverb emphasizing the moral of 團.

團 teaches the wisdom of wholeness through unity — that completeness arises not from isolation but from harmony among parts.

Its circle encloses without excluding, gathers without constraining.

「萬物成團，和而不同。」

“All things form circles, harmonious yet distinct.”

Thus, 團 stands as a character of harmony, solidarity, and the enduring perfection of unity — the fullness that comes when all are gathered together as one.