Origin

This character combines an arrow, which represents something straight and directional, with a sound hint on the right that tells you roughly how to pronounce it. The arrow works as a visual classifier because straightening and correcting something is like making it point true and clear, the way an arrow flies straight. Over time, the meanings expanded from the physical idea of straightening an arrow to the broader sense of correcting, reforming, or controlling anything that is bent or wrong. The right component is there purely to hint at the sound, not to add to the meaning.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).