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desire

HSK 6 N2
ヨク
ほっ.する、ほ.しい
Phonosemantic compound. 欠, depicting a person with an open mouth, represents the meaning, while 谷 represents the sound.
Components
deficient+ valley =
desire
Meaning component
qiàn deficient
owe, lack, be deficient
Depicts a person with an open mouth.
Phonetic component
valley
surname Gu
View phonetic series →
Notes
Historical Evolution
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal
Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical
Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Regular
Modern
Chinese
[yù]
to wish for; to desire; variant of 慾|欲[yù]
Japanese
(rare) よく 同音
nounn-suf greed; craving; desire; appetite; hunger; avarice; wants
Example Sentences
Japanese Names
よく
Yoku surname