广场
guǎngchǎng · HSK 2
public square
🏛️ 广 = wide + 场 = field/ground; a wide open ground
广 means wide/broad and 场 means field, ground, or arena. Together: a wide open space where people gather — a public square, plaza, or concourse.
广 — shelter/roof radical 广 (yǎn)
广 originally depicted a building leaning against a cliff or hillside — a roof or shelter open on one side. It serves as the 'shelter' radical (yǎn) in many characters related to buildings (店, 庭, 库). In simplified Chinese, 广 was also adopted as the simplified form of 廣 ('wide, broad').
场 — earth 土 + 昜 (bright/rising)
Originally a flat open ground used for sun-drying grain or for ritual offerings, hence 土 'earth' as the meaning component. 昜 supplies the sound and hints at an open, sunlit space. The meaning broadened to any open area or venue, and as cháng it still refers to a threshing floor or a session/spell of something.