村
cūn · HSK 3
village
🏘️ 村 = 木 (tree) + 寸 (inch); a small cluster of trees marks a village
The radical 木 means wood/tree and 寸 originally meant a hand's-breadth, suggesting something small and close. Together they point to a small wooded settlement — a village. Sounds like cun, rhymes with 'soon'.
村 — tree 木 + inch/measure 寸
村 combines 木 (tree) with 寸 (inch/hand), where 寸 also serves as the phonetic. Originally written 邨 with the 邑 (settlement) radical, it referred to a small rural settlement, often near trees. The modern form 村 became standard, keeping the meaning 'village.'