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港

항구

항

부수: 氵
획수: 12획

港 means port/harbour.

港 = 氵 + 巷

X = semantic + semantic/phonetic

• 氵 is a component form of 水. It depicts flowing water and represents the meaning ‘water’.
• 巷 represents ‘a small road’ or ‘streets of a settlement’ (explained below).

Combined, 港 originally meant ‘a forking river’.

Evolution:
港 = a forking river ➔ bay ➔ harbour

巷 = 共 + 巳

• 共 originally depicted two hands making an offering. This is associated with the meaning ‘to supply’ (as in suppling goods) and came to mean ‘streets’ (supply lines).
• 巳 is a distortion of 邑 meaning ‘city’. It does not mean ‘snake’.

Combined, 巷 represents ‘a small road’ or ‘streets of a settlement’.

Some scholars suggest 巷 represents ‘forking road’ and therefore 港 represents ‘forking river (delta)’ and thus ‘harbour’. Others suggest it represents water lanes for boats and thus ‘harbour’.

Mnemonic

Consider 巷 as representing supply 共 lines for a city 邑. A city’s harbour 港 is where goods and supplies arrive from the sea 氵.

Vocab

port/harbour
空港	공항	airport
港口	항구	port; harbour
港灣	항만	port; harbour
港都	항도	port city
河港	하항	river port
軍港	군항	naval port
母港	모항	home port
入港	입항	port entry
寄港	기항	to stop at a port
貿易港	무역항	trade port
外航船	외항선	outward-going ship
高潮港	고조항	tidal harbour
寄港地	기항지	port of call

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