Origin

This character is a picture of a mortar, the bowl-shaped grinding tool used to crush grains and other materials. The shape shows a wide, hollow container viewed from above or the side, with the opening at the top where you would pour in ingredients and the deeper bowl below where the grinding happens. The strokes form a simple outline that captures the essential form of this everyday kitchen implement, which is why the character's meaning is directly tied to what it looks like.

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