王

Wang2
#299 most
frequent character
surname Wang

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

王 began as a drawing of an axe blade, a sign of power. That gave the first sense, 'highest ruler'. The meaning then grew to 'ruler' and 'king'.

Drawn as: axe blade

王 as a component in other characters

meaning47 characters
玑瑜琪璋琦琛珑瑾璐琏璞瓒闰璜琨珞
sound8 characters
望往皇狂汪旺枉匡
picture7 characters
弄璇噩珥璨珏琰

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Same Characters, Different Readings

王wáng
king, monarch, head, chief
王wàng
(literary) (of a monarch) to reign over (a kingdom)

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