砚

硯
yàn
#4,110 most
frequent character
ink-stone

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

砚 combines 石 stone with 见 jiàn, which supplies the sound. It first meant a smooth stone. That grew to the ink stone used in calligraphy.

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Homophones

厌yàn
(bound form) to loathe
验yàn
to examine, to test, to check

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