xián

salty

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components
鹵 meaning component

  Meaning component

  

salt

咸 sound component

  Sound component

xián

  

all

Evolution

鹹 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
鹹 Seal script Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal script

Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
鹹 Clerical script Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Clerical script

Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
鹹 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

() 

xián

salty, briny; salted; pickled; salty; stingy; miserly

Most common words with 鹹
Freq.
Word
Meaning

all

咸鱼

salted fish

咸菜

pickles

咸肉

bacon

咸阳

Xianyang prefecture level city in Shaanxi