抹

Phono-semantic compound:

手 (손 수) — semantic element: hand, manual action

末 (끝 말) — phonetic element: gives mal sound

The original meaning is “to rub or wipe with the hand”, from which both “erase” and “apply/spread” emerge.

Note: Applying an even layer of something (ink, cream, plaster) uses the same hand motion as wiping — dual semantic direction.

In Korean Sino-vocabulary, 抹(말) is used mainly in meanings of erasing, wiping, and smearing.

Wiping / erasing:

抹殺 (말살) — 지워 없앰; obliteration; eradication

抹消 (말소) — 기록을 지움; erasure

抹去 (말거) — 없애버림; wipe away, eliminate

一抹 (일말) — 한 번 훔침; a single stroke (of wiping)

Smearing / applying:

抹油 (말유) — 기름을 바름; to apply oil

抹粉 (말분) — 분을 바름; to apply powder (cosmetic)

抹薬 (말약) — 약을 바름; to apply ointment

Light touching / brushing:

抹拭 (말식) — 쓸어 닦음; to wipe clean

抹面 (말면) — 얼굴을 문지르다; wipe one’s face

Figurative:

抹殺하다 (말살하다) — 존재나 의견을 없애버리다; erase existence or opinion

抹消시키다 — 이름이나 기록을 지우다; erase name or record

抹線 — 줄을 그어 삭제하다; cross out and delete

Dual meaning “erase” and “apply”:

Both actions are derived from the same base motion:

- 擦/brush horizontally → remove

- spread thinly → apply

Thus 抹 appears in both artistic (painting), cosmetic, and legal/administrative contexts.

Difference from 擦, 揩, 拭:

抹 — wipe/erase/apply

擦 — rub, scrub

揩 — wipe lightly, dry

拭 — wipe to clean/dry

抹 is softer and broader in meaning.

Classical citations:

《史記·滑稽列傳》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「抹去其名。」

“He wiped away his name” — literal erasing, figurative removal.

《後漢書·梁鴻傳》 (Book of the Later Han)

「抹粉自飾。」

“She adorned herself by applying powder” — 抹 = to apply/spread.

《金史·食貨志》 (History of the Jin Dynasty)

「抹帳以明數。」

“They wiped the ledger clean to verify the totals” — administrative usage: wipe/clean to make clear.

《水滸傳》 (Water Margin)

「抹了一把臉。」

“He wiped his face with one sweep of the hand” — vivid physical action.

These examples show two major semantic branches: wipe/erase and apply/spread.