五
부수: 二
획수: 4획
五 simply means five.
五 = 五
X = phonetic borrowing
• 五 originally depicted an X-like symbol and came to mean ‘five’ through phonetic borrowing.
The etymology of 五 is disputed. Some take the original form of intersecting lines like an X to represent ‘noon’. That is, the time of day when the sun crosses the highest point. Other scholars suggest the X represents a reel of yarn (replacing the need to use five fingers when knitting). Some see the original form as nothing more than a geometric symbol.
Evolution:
五 = intersection ➔ borrowed use ➔ five
Mnemonic
五 looks like an X sandwiched between two lines 二.
X (Roman numeral ten) dived by 二 = 五.
Vocab
| 五 | 오 | five |
| 五月 | 오월 | May |
| 五角形 | 오각형 | pentagon |
| 五常 | 오상 | the five constant virtues (Confucianism) |
| 五倫 | 오륜 | the five human relationships (Confucianism) |
| 五輪 | 오륜 | the Olympic rings |
| 五感 | 오감 | the senses |
| 五線 | 오선 | stave (music) |
| 五行 | 오행 | the five elements |
| 五色 | 오색 | the five cardinal colours |
Other resources
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Bibliography
— Daum 사전, [s.v. 五].
— Grant, B.K. (1982). A Guide To Korean Characters: Reading and Writing Hangul and Hanja, [s.v. 54]. Seoul: Hollym.
— Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters, [s.v. 五].
— Seely, C., Henshall, K.G., & Fan, J. (2016). The Complete Guide to Japanese Kanji: Remembering and Understanding the 2,136 Standard Japanese Characters, [s.v. 21]. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing.