銀

A phono-semantic compound:

金 (“metal, gold”) — semantic element, indicating metal.

艮 (geun/ɡən, “to stop, tough, firm”) — phonetic element.

Originally, 艮 also carried the meaning “silver,” but when combined with 金 (metal), the form 銀 became the standard character for silver, whitish metal.

銀貨 (은화) — silver coin

白銀 (백은) — pure silver

銀河 (은하) — the Milky Way (“river of silver”)

銀髮 (은발) — silver hair, gray hair

銀行 (은행) — bank (lit. “silver house”)

銀幕 (은막) — silver screen (cinema)

Silver was historically a major medium of exchange in China and other cultures, hence 銀 is closely tied to the idea of currency.

The Milky Way’s East Asian name 銀河 highlights the bright, silvery-white appearance of the starry river.

In modern East Asian languages, 銀 frequently appears in compounds related to money and finance (銀行, 銀行券).

Figuratively, silver (銀) often symbolizes purity, brightness, and value, second only to gold (金).