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Phonetic and a semantic components
Most Chinese characters are made up of a phonetic and a semantic component. The semantic component hints at the meaning of the character while the phonetic components suggests its pronunciation. As the pronunciation changes over time the phonetic component is often only loosely linked to the current pronunciation.
Examples:
马 as a phonetic component:
| 吗 | (ma) | question marker. | Semantic component: | 口 | (mouth) |
| 妈 | (mā) | mother. | Semantic component: | 女 | (female) |
| 骂 | (mà) | swear. | Semantic component: | 口 | (mouth) |
| 蚂 | (mǎ) | ant. | Semantic component: | 虫 | (bug) |
马 as a semantic component: horse / transport related:
| 驶 | (shǐ) | to drive |
| 骑 | (qí) | to ride |
| 驰 | (chí) | gallop, speed |
| 驴 | (lǘ) | donkey |