Origin

This character combines a cave or hole (穴) with a component suggesting a young animal (羔). The top part 穴 represents an enclosed space, like a chamber or cavity dug into earth or stone. The bottom part 羔 contributes both visual structure and a sound hint for pronunciation. Together, these parts depict a practical structure: a heat chamber built into or under the ground where potters and metalworkers fire their goods at high temperatures. The image of a hollow cavity designed specifically for intense heat naturally came to mean kiln, oven, or furnace.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Compound ideographic (combined meanings).