肌

A phono-semantic compound composed of:

肉 — semantic component meaning “flesh; meat”;

几 — phonetic component indicating the sound (기 / jī).

The character originally referred to the flesh or muscular tissue of the body.

Semantic development:

- flesh of the body;

- skin or outer body surface;

- muscle tissue;

- texture or surface (extended meaning).

The meaning expanded from physical flesh to surface texture or skin.

피부 (皮膚) — skin

근육 (筋肉) — muscle

살결 (肌결) — texture of the skin

Related characters:

肉 — flesh; meat

膚 — skin

筋 — muscle; tendon

皮 — skin; hide