道
- road, path, way;
- method, doctrine, principle;
- to lead, to guide;
Etymology
辵 (辶) – “to walk; to go slowly” – provides the meaning;
首 (head) – serves as the phonetic element and also contributes to the meaning of leading or guiding.
In oracle bone script (甲骨文) and bronze inscriptions (金文 jinwen), the character resembled a head (首) combined with the “walking” radical, showing the idea of leading the way.
Over time, the form standardized in clerical script (隸書) into the structure we see today.
Usage in Korean
Used in everyday words like 道路 (roadway), 道德 (morality), 道歉 (apology).
