粒

粒 is a phono-semantic compound:

米 (쌀 미) — semantic element, signifying “grain” or “cereal.”

立 (설 립) — phonetic element, providing the sound rip / lì, and secondarily implying verticality or individuality, reinforcing the notion of a single standing grain.

Hence, the character conveys “a single grain of cereal”—something that stands alone yet represents part of a greater whole.

米粒 (미립) — grain of rice

砂粒 (사립) — grain of sand

顆粒 (과립) — granule, pellet

粒子 (입자) — particle (in physics)

粉粒 (분립) — dust or powder grain

微粒 (미립) — fine particle, micrograin

藥粒 (약립) — medicine tablet or pill

雪粒 (설립) — snow granule, small snow pellet

The character reflects early agrarian culture, where each grain of millet or rice was considered precious.

Classical texts often use 粒 metaphorically to stress frugality and reverence for sustenance:

「一粟之粒，萬民之命。」— “A single grain sustains the lives of ten thousand.”

In Confucian moral teaching, 惜粒 (cherishing grains) symbolized respect for labor and gratitude for the harvest.

Over centuries, 粒 evolved into a general classifier for small, round, or granular items — similar to the English word grain extending from rice to sand or gunpowder.

In modern Chinese, Korean, and Japanese, 粒 (as in 粒子, 顆粒) appears frequently in scientific, pharmaceutical, and material contexts, denoting discrete microscopic particles, atoms, or granules.