的

The hanja 的 originally meant “target” but also carries the meanings of:

• a possessive or attributive particle (like “~의” in Korean, or “’s” in English);

• a suffix meaning “-like,” “-ic,” or “-al,” indicating a certain quality or state.

It is a phono-semantic compound character, combining:

日 (날 일, “sun”) for the meaning

勺 (작, “ladle/scoop”) for the sound

Originally, it meant “bright” or “white”, but later it also acquired the meaning “target.”

In Japan it has been used as a suffix attached to nouns to add the meaning of a certain quality or state. Korea inherited this usage directly, sharing many words like:

基本的 (기본적) - basic

一時的 (일시적) - temporary

寫實的 (사실적) - realistic

Korean, Chinese, and Japanese all use this character very frequently.