鐘

Phono-semantic compound:

金 (쇠 금, “metal”), indicating a bronze/metal object.

童 (아이 동), giving the sound.

Originally depicted a large bronze bell used in ritual and music. Over time, the meaning extended to general “bells” and, in modern usage, to “clocks” (e.g., 壁鐘 “wall clock”).

鐘樓 (종루) — bell tower

鐘聲 (종성) — sound of a bell

鐘表 (종표) — clock, timepiece

鐘愛 (종애) — to treasure, to cherish deeply

Closely related to 鍾 (술잔 종 / 모을 종) — historically interchangeable in writing due to identical pronunciation, but semantically distinct. 鍾 “to gather, to pour wine” vs. 鐘 “bell.”

In Chinese culture, gifting a 鐘 (bell/clock) is avoided because 鐘 (zhōng, “bell/clock”) is homophonous with 終 (zhōng, “end, death”).