xiǎo

dawn

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components
日 meaning component

  Meaning component

  

sun

堯 sound component

  Sound component

yáo

  

legendary ancient emperor-sage

Evolution

曉 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
曉 Clerical script Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical script

Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
曉 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
曉 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
曉 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

() 

xiǎo

dawn, daybreak; clear, explicit; dawn; daybreak; to know; to let sb know; to make explicit

Most common words with 曉
Freq.
Word
Meaning

揭晓

to publish

晓得

to know

dawn

知晓

to know

赫鲁晓夫

Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971), secretary-general of Soviet Communist Party 1953-1964