池

A phono-semantic compound consisting of:

水 (water) — semantic component, indicating relation to water;

也 (yě) — phonetic component, providing the sound. The structure conveys a place where water gathers and remains, forming a pond or pool.
Semantic development: - water; - place where water collects; - pond or basin; - container (literal or abstract). Thus, 池 evolved from natural water collection to general concept of a reservoir.

연못지 (蓮池) — lotus pond

저수지 (貯水池) — reservoir

전지 (電池) — battery (literally “electric reservoir”)

The character is commonly used in both natural and engineered contexts (ponds, reservoirs, batteries).

In compounds like 電池, the idea of a “pool” is extended metaphorically to stored energy.

Compared to larger bodies like 湖 (lake) or 海 (sea), 池 implies contained and manageable scale. Its simple structure and clear meaning make it a frequent and practical character across East Asian languages.
Related characters: 湖 — lake

沼 — swamp; marsh

海 — sea

水 — water

Among these, 池 denotes a smaller, contained, and often artificial body of water.