还款
huán​kuǎn HSK7

repay

还 hái, huán still, return Simplified

Simplified form of 還. 辶 represents the meaning. 不 replaces the traditional phonetic component 睘.

Components

不
不 Simplified component
bù, bu no

Shorthand for the 睘 component in the traditional character 還.

辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

Character Evolution

Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical images
Academia Sinica

款 kuǎn item, funds

Original meaning: desire to have something

Phonosemantic compound. 柰 represents the sound and 欠 represents the meaning. Based on the original meaning "desire to have something". The meaning later shifted to "funds" and "item".

Components

柰
柰 Sound component
nài crab-apple tree
Change in sound
欠
欠 Meaning component
qiàn, qian yawn, deficient
Change in meaning
欠 hints at the original meaning of 款, "desire to have something", which is no longer the most common meaning of 款 in modern Mandarin.

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

窾

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangkʰloːnʔ
Unicodekuɑn

說文解字

《說文》：“，意有所欲也。从欠，祟欠省。歀，或从柰。”

Sources

Character origin
李学勤《字源》p.768
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

還 hái, huán still Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 辶 represents the meaning and 睘 represents the sound.

Components

辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

辶 is a component form of 辵.

睘
睘 Sound component
qióng round
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthwaen[ɢ]ʷˤ<r>en turn around; return
zjwens-ɢʷen turn around, return; agile

說文解字

復也。从辵瞏聲。

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)