凉
liáng · HSK 2
cool
❄️ 氵 (water) + 京 (capital) — cold water; 京 also hints at the 'liáng' sound
凉 decomposes into the water radical 氵 on the left and 京 (jīng, capital) on the right. The water radical carries the 'cool/cold' meaning, while 京 acts as a phonetic clue pointing to liáng.
凉 — ice radical 冫 + 京 (capital)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 冫 (ice) gives the meaning 'cool/cold,' while 京 supplies the sound. Originally written 涼 with the water radical 氵, suggesting cool water; the simplified form 凉 swaps in 冫 to emphasize coldness. The meaning extended from 'cool' to 'chilly' and figuratively 'desolate.'