琉 (liú) — (bound morpheme) used in 琉璃 (colored glaze) and 琉球 (Ryukyu)

Definition

琉 is a bound form that never stands alone — it appears only in 琉璃 ('colored glaze') and 琉球 ('Ryukyu', the Japanese island chain). The 'precious stone' gloss reflects its historical meaning as a type of jade-like gem.

bound form
(bound morpheme) used in 琉璃 (colored glaze) and 琉球 (Ryukyu)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 琉璃。
    Zhè jiàn gōng yì pǐn shì yòng liú lí zuò de.
    This craft is made of colored glaze.
  • 琉璃。
    Gù gōng de wū dǐng yòng le hěn duō liú lí wǎ.
    The Forbidden City's roof uses many glazed tiles.
  • 。
    liú Qiú shì rì běn de yí gè qún dǎo.
    Ryukyu is a group of islands in Japan.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
𤣩Written in full as玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬琉
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 琉, the part 𤣩 is a form of 玉, meaning jade, while 㐬 gives the sound.

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