亲qīn

亲

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Simplified · Today

繁体

Traditional Chinese

親 (qīn, "dear/relative"), written 親 in traditional form, literally means "to see family" — the left component 見 (to see) combined with a phonetic element below captures the original sense of visiting one's kin. The simplified form 亲, though visually stripped of the "seeing" radical, preserves the essential meaning:親 is always about blood closeness, whether in 母親 (mother), 親愛 (beloved), or 親戚 (relatives).

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Shuowen

亲. The character depicts a person (亻) approaching a tree (木), representing the original meaning of "to get close to" or "approach." In oracle bone inscriptions, this image of a figure moving toward a tree captured the sense of drawing near, which later evolved to mean "parents" and "relatives" — those to whom one is nearest — and eventually extended to all intimate or blood-connected relationships.

Pinyin

qīn· HSK 2

亲qīn

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin