[UKH-空] | ultimateKOREAN

空

빌

공

부수: 穴
획수: 8획

空 has the meanings empty, space and air/sky.

X = semantic + phonetic

• 穴 originally depicted a cave-dwelling and represents the meaning ’empty space’.
• 工 depicts a construction tool, but is used for its sound.

Some scholars suggest 工 (tool, work) represents ‘hollowing-out’ an empty space, such as a pit or cave 穴.

Evolution:
空 = empty ➔ space ➔ air/sky

穴 = 宀 + 八

• 宀 is a distortion of some earlier form.
• 八 is a distortion of some earlier form.

Mnemonic

Imagine you’re lost in Siberia and need to build a snow cave 穴 to survive the night. You create an opening 八 and then hollow out the insides with your axe 工, making sure the ceiling 宀 is the right height. As you settle inside, the still air 空 warms up and keeps you alive.

Vocab

empty
空腹	공복	empty stomach
空席	공석	vacant seat
空冊	공책	notebook
空白	공백	blank space; emptiness
眞空	진공	vacuum
空想	공상	idle fantasy
空짜	공짜	freebie
空돈	공돈	easy money
空虛感	공허감	emptiness (feeling)
空然히	공연히	needlessly; uselessly
space
空間	공간	space (spatial)
空氣	공기	atmosphere; air
air/sky
蒼空	창공	blue sky
空港	공항	airport
空軍	공군	air force
上空	상공	midair; sky above
領空	영공	territorial airspace
空襲	공습	air raid
空輸	공수	air transport; airlift
虛空	허공	air surrounding oneself
空中	공중	air distant from oneself

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