津
- ferry, ford, crossing point in a river;
- sap, liquid;
Etymology
Phono-semantic compound:
氵(水, 물 수) — semantic, “water.”
聿 (붓 율) — phonetic, originally suggesting “to brush/mark.”
The original sense was “sap / resin flowing like brushed-on liquid.” Later it was extended to mean “river crossing, ford,” since water is where one crosses.
Usage in Korean
津液 (진액) — bodily fluids, sap, vital juices
渡津 (도진) — to cross a river, ferry crossing
津貼 (진첩) — allowance, subsidy
津津 (진진) — vivid, with keen interest (津津有味, “very interesting / with relish”)
天津 (천진) — Tianjin (a major Chinese port city)
Words that derived from 津
Additional notes
Still appears widely in place names (天津, 松津, etc.) and in classical Chinese with both meanings “ferry” and “sap.”