括弧
kuò hú · HSK 7
parenthesis
括弧 = 括 enclose + 弧 arc = the enclosing curves that wrap a phrase
括 means to enclose or bind together; 弧 means an arc or curved line. A parenthesis is exactly that: a pair of curved arcs that enclose extra words. Sound: kuò hú, with the falling-then-rising pull mirroring an open-then-close bracket pair.