襪

A phono-semantic compound consisting of:

衣 (clothing) — semantic component, clearly indicates relation to garments;

蔑 — phonetic component, providing the sound (말 / mò).

In the Shuōwén Jiězì (說文解字), the entry appears under the variant 韤, where 韋 (tanned leather) functions as the semantic element, suggesting early forms of footwear made from leather.

양말 (洋襪) — socks (lit. “western socks”)

면말 (棉襪) — cotton socks

모말 (毛襪) — wool socks

襪 specifically denotes the garment worn on the foot, not the outer shoe.

Related characters:

靴 — boots

鞋 — shoes

履 — footwear in general

韋 — tanned leather

韤 (U+97E4)

韈 (U+97C8)

帓 (U+5E13)

𤿗 (U+24FD7)

𥀯 (U+2502F)

𥿉 (U+25FC9)

The character illustrates how material influences orthographic variation.