薔

A phono-semantic compound:

艸 (grass / plant radical) — indicates a plant

嗇 (stingy; closed; tight) — provides the sound

Originally, the character was read with a pronunciation closer to 색, as reflected in old Chinese readings such as 所力切.

The modern Sino-Korean reading 장 (莊/牆 계열) is a later phonetic borrowing, influenced by the pronunciation of 牆 (담 장) rather than by the original phonetic value of 嗇.

In Classical Chinese, 薔 referred broadly to thorny climbing plants. Over time, it became fixed specifically to roses when paired with 薇. The standalone character fell out of practical use.

薔 does not normally appear alone in actual usage. Rose, specifically as part of the binome 薔薇.

薔薇 (장미) — rose

This is a classic example of a disyllabic words (連綿詞):

- both characters are inseparable

- neither is used independently in normal language

薔薇 frequently appears in:

- classical poetry

- literary descriptions of gardens

- romantic and aesthetic imagery

Because of its restricted usage, 薔 carries a strongly poetic and botanical tone.

Related characters:

薇 — fern; wild plant (the second character in 薔薇)

花 — flower

梅 — plum blossom

菊 — chrysanthemum

蓮 — lotus