株

Phono-semantic compound:

木 (목, “tree, wood”) — semantic, indicating relation to trees.

朱 (주, “red”) — phonetic, providing the sound 주.

Thus 株 depicts a tree trunk or stump, the base of a plant.

Originally referred to a tree base or stump, later metaphorically extended to “foundation, capital, shareholding.”

주식(株式) — stock, shares

주권(株券) — stock certificate

주주(株主) — shareholder

그루 — unit counter for trees (한 그루, 두 그루)

In early Chinese texts, 株 meant a stump of a tree.

The most famous idiom is 守株待兔 (수주대토) — “to guard a stump while waiting for a rabbit.”

Story: A farmer saw a rabbit accidentally crash into a stump (株) and die. Hoping to get more rabbits the same way, he abandoned farming and sat by the stump waiting.

Meaning: A proverb criticizing inaction, complacency, or reliance on luck instead of effort.

In Japan, 株 came to denote stocks/shares during the Edo period (株仲間, merchant guilds). This evolved into modern financial terms like 株式 (stock).

In modern Korean, 株 remains in compounds like 주식 (stock, shares) but the native meaning “그루” (tree counter) is still alive in daily speech.