琉

Phono-semantic compound:

琉 = 玉 (“jade; precious stone”, semantic) + 㐬 (“flag/staff”, phonetic)

玉 (옥) — indicates shiny minerals, gemstones, valuable materials

㐬 (phonetic element) — reconstructed Old Chinese (riu / liu)

Thus 琉 originally meant a precious stone with a glossy, glasslike appearance, later extended to refer to early forms of colored glass.

In pre-Qin and Han texts, 琉 referred to bright minerals, often imported or precious.

Later, with the rise of Buddhist translation terminology, 琉璃 became the standard rendering of Sanskrit vaiḍūrya, meaning lapis lazuli, blue gemstone, or crystal glass depending on context.

Material / gemstone:

琉璃 (유리) — traditional colored glass; glazed material; crystal-like

琉璃瓦 (유리와) — glazed roof tiles (often blue/green)

瑙琉 (노류) — agate and liuli (rare literary)

Place names:

琉球 (류큐) — Ryukyu Islands; historical term used in Korea and China

Figurative / literary:

琉璃光 (유리광) — radiant, crystalline light

琉璃世界 (유리세계) — “liuli world,” clear spiritual realm in Buddhist texts

In modern Korean, “유리” normally refers to Western glass, but compounds with 琉 remain primarily literary or historical.

In Buddhist art, liuli represents clarity, non-defilement, spiritual luminosity.

Many temples use 琉璃瓦 (colored glazed roof tiles) for symbolic brilliance.

Classical citations:

《後漢書·西域傳》 (Book of the Later Han)

「出琉璃、瑪瑙。」

“(This region) produces liuli (colored glass) and agate” — 琉 as a mineral or gemstone.

《大般若經》 (Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra)

「如琉璃淨，無垢無濁。」

“Pure like liuli, unstained and unpolluted” — symbolic purity in Buddhist imagery.

《佛說阿彌陀經》 (Amitābha Sutra)

「其地皆是琉璃所成。」

“The ground there is entirely made of liuli” — Pure Land descriptions: transparent, radiant material.