飩

A phono-semantic compound:

食 (식) — semantic component, indicating food / eating

屯 (둔) — phonetic component, supplying the sound (돈 / dùn)

The structure denotes a compact mass of food, fitting the idea of round dumplings or dough balls.

In Korean, 飩 is largely lexical and historical, rarely used outside explanations of food terms or Sino-character studies.

경단 (飩) — glutinous rice balls; dumplings (older or dictionary usage)

Japanese usage:

饂飩 (우동) — archaic/kanji writing for udon (today almost always written うどん)

Compared with 餃 (stuffed dumpling), 飩 emphasizes shape and mass, not filling.

Modern usage note:

In Modern Mandarin, 飩 (dùn) is rare as a standalone character and is mainly encountered in 餛飩 / 馄饨.

Because it appears in advanced or specialized vocabulary rather than daily standalone use, it is classified as HSK Level 6.

In Japanese, 飩 survives primarily as a historical kanji within 饂飩, now replaced by kana.

Related characters (dumplings & noodles):

餃 — stuffed dumpling

麵 — noodles

食 — food; meal

團 — round; ball-shaped

Among these, 飩 is distinctive for its emphasis on round, compact food forms.