灰

Associative compound:

又 (hand), later transformed into 𠂇

火 (fire)

灰 is an associative compound depicting a hand gathering the remains of something burned by fire, i.e. ash.

Over time, the original 又 component changed shape into 𠂇, giving the modern form.

Early forms show a hand + fire. The hand component gradually simplified.

In modern Japanese typefaces, the upper element is standardized as 厂.

Semantic extensions:

Color: gray, dull, colorless

Emotion: dejection, loss of vitality

State: something reduced to nothingness

재灰 / 화재 (火災) — ash; fire damage

회색 (灰色) — gray

재더미 (灰堆) — pile of ashes

Related characters:

炭 — charcoal

煤 — soot

塵 — dust

粉 — powder

A variant exists where the upper component is written as 厂 instead of 𠂇. This form is standard in Japanese Shinjitai.

A compatibility ideograph exists:

灰 (U+2F835)

Although 灰 and 炭 look related, they are not etymologically connected.

灰 = 又/𠂇 + 火

炭 = 山 + 厂 + 火

The similar-looking “cliff” component differs slightly in shape and origin.