商

shāng
#402 most
frequent character
commerce, merchant, dealer

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

商 first meant to measure, built from 辛 and 丙, tools or their base. It then grew to discuss and consult, and on to trade and trader. Later 口 mouth was added to mark an ancient kingdom name.

商 as a component in other characters

sound2 characters
熵墒

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Same Characters, Different Readings

商Shang1
Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC)

Homophones

伤shāng
hurt, be harmful, be distressed
汤shāng
rushing current

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