玉
yū · HSK 4
jade
💎 玉 = 王 (king) with an extra dot — the king's precious jade
玉 originally drew three jade discs strung together; the modern form looks like 王 (king) plus a dot marking the gem. Kings hoarded jade, so the added dot = the king's prized stone.
玉 — three horizontal jades 三 strung on a vertical cord 丨, with a dot added
Originally a pictograph showing three flat jade discs threaded together on a string, the character meant 'jade' or precious stone. A dot was later added to distinguish it from 王 ('king'), which had nearly the same shape. It now refers to jade and, by extension, anything precious or beautiful.