Origin

The left side of this character is the bone radical, which directly signals that this kanji deals with skeletal or bodily matters. The right component, 亥, functions as a sound hint — it provides a pronunciation guide rather than adding to the meaning. Together, the combination of "bone" with this phonetic element creates a character meaning the skeletal framework of a body, or a body itself, especially a lifeless one. The word's association with corpses and bones likely grew from picturing what remains of a body after death.

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