Origin

This character combines water (the three-dot water radical on the left) with a component suggesting a basket or container with holes. The image represents water dripping or seeping through gaps, which is the core idea of leaking. Over time, the meaning expanded to include things that escape or slip away, and eventually the concept of time passing — as if hours and minutes leak away moment by moment. The shape literally shows what happens when a vessel fails to hold its contents.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Pictographic or simple.