版

はん · han · JLPT N3 · noun

edition

📖 版 = 片 wooden plank + 反 han for sound: a carved printing block

片 is a slice of wood, and 反 (also read han) gives the sound. Books were once printed from carved wooden blocks, and each new block made a new edition. You see it in 初版 shohan, first edition, and 出版 shuppan, publishing.

版 — 片 (slice/board) + 反 (phonetic 'fǎn')
版 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 片 component means a thin slice or board of wood, indicating the meaning, while 反 supplies the sound. Originally it referred to wooden writing tablets or printing blocks, which extended to today's senses of 'edition,' 'printing plate,' and 'version.'

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