格

かく · kaku · JLPT N3 · noun

character

格 = 木 tree + 各 each: each thing in its own wooden frame, so its rank

格 first meant a wooden frame or lattice. A frame sets a standard, which gives status (資格, qualification), character (性格, personality) and grammatical case (主格, nominative).

格 — wood 木 + 各 (each, phonetic)
格 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 木 (wood) gives the meaning, originally referring to a wooden frame, lattice, or crossbar, while 各 supplies the sound. From 'frame/grid' the meaning extended to 'pattern, standard, style' and the modern senses of 'square (in a grid)' and 'character/disposition'.

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