1. Meaning:
empty, sky, vacant, vacuum, void
2. Readings:
![figure_1_kanji etymology_kuu figure_1_kanji etymology_kuu](https://beyond-calligraphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/figure_1_kanji-etymology_kuu.jpg)
3. Etymology
空 belongs to the 形声文字 (けいせいもじ, keiseimoji, i.e. phono-semantic compound characters). This is by far the largest group of Chinese characters, encompassing about 85 – 90% of all kanji, which are constructed of semantic (disclosing the general nature of a character) and phonetic compounds (responsible for its sound, and often further narrowing the meaning of given character). Usually, semasio-phonetic characters have a semantically corresponding version in the form of another character of a more complex nature (so called 正字, せいじ, seiji, i.e. correct (traditional) character); however, 空 does not have such a form.
![figure_2_kanji etymology_kuu figure_2_kanji etymology_kuu](https://beyond-calligraphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/figure_2_kanji-etymology_kuu.jpg)
The phonetic part of the kanji 空 is 工 (こう, kō; today’s meaning of this character is “construction worker”, also “craft”, “artisan”, “skill”, etc.).
In 空, 工 also represents a gently curved shape, similarly to the way it does in the character 虹 (にじ, niji, i.e. “rainbow”). The meaning of 工 in the character 空 is (most likely) related to the dome-shaped curvature of the distant horizon, which is a consequence of the Earth being round. In summary, 工 plays the double role of phonetic and semantic components of the character 空. In later stages the original meaning of 空 was expanded from a dome-shaped space to “emptiness” in general.
The semantic element 穴 (穴, ana, i.e. “hole”, “deficit”, also “vacancy”, etc.) suggests “emptiness”, or “lack of presence”, etc. In the book 說文解字 (shūo wén jiě zì, i.e. “Explaining Simple (Characters) and Analyzing Compound Characters”) we read that 空 originally had the same meaning as 竅 (きょう, kyō, i.e. “hole”; also “opening” in Chinese). Further, in the commentaries to the above mentioned book, written by the Chinese philologist 段玉裁 (Duàn Yùcái, 1735 – 1815), we read about the “emptiness between the heavens and earth”, i.e. “sky”, “atmosphere”.
![figure_3_kanji etymology_kuu figure_3_kanji etymology_kuu](https://beyond-calligraphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/figure_3_kanji-etymology_kuu.jpg)
4. Selected historical forms of 空.
Figure 1. Ink rubbing of the oracle bone script (甲骨文, こうこつぶん, kōkotsubun) form of 空, from ca.1600 B.C. – 1200 B.C.
Figure 2. Seal script (篆書, てんしょ, tensho) forms of the character 空, from works of the famous scholar and researcher of seal script, 呉大澂 (Wú Dàchéng, 1835 – 1902); Qing dynasty (清朝, 1644- 1912).
Figure 3. Ink rubbing of the representative clerical script form (隷書, れいしょ) of the character 空, taken from the late Han dynasty (後漢, 25 – 220 C.E.) stele 史晨碑 (Chinese: Shǐchén bēi), dated 169 C.E.
Figure 4. Ink rubbing of a rather advanced form of the cursive script (草書, そしょ) of the character 空, found in the Ming dynasty (明朝, 1368 – 1644) calligraphy by 祝允明 (Zhù Yǔnmíng, 1460 – 1526).
Figure 5. Ink rubbing of the relaxed and supple standard script (楷書, かいしょ, kaisho) form of the character 空, taken from the Tang dynasty (唐朝, 618 – 907 C.E.) stele entitled 孔穎達碑 (Chinese: Kǒng Yǐngdá bēi), named after its author, the scholar and calligrapher 孔穎達 (Kǒng Yǐngdá , 574 – 648 C.E.), who was a descendant (32nd generation) of Confucius (孔子, Kǒng zǐ, 551 – 479 B.C.).
Figure 6. Semi-cursive script (行書, ぎょうしょ, gyōsho) form of the character 空. Ink rubbing from the calligraphy work compilation entitled 集王聖教序 (Chinese: Jí Wáng shèng jiào xù), created on the order of the Emperor 唐太宗 (Chinese: Táng Tài zōng), of the Tang dynasty (唐朝, 618 – 907). Characters for this work were chosen from masterpieces of 王羲之 (Wáng Xīzhī, 303 – 361), often referred to as the Sage of Calligraphy (書聖; Chinese: shū shèng), who lived in Jin Dynasty (晉朝, 265 – 420 C.E.).