Why does 語 contain 五?


I'm aware the two kanji are often pronounced the same, but why does one
contain the other in it?




That is called 形声. About 90% of all kanjis are created in this way. In this
case, the left side `言` is responsible for the meaning, and the right side,
`吾` is responsible for the pronunciation. In turn, `吾` is composed of the
upper part `五`, which is responsible for the pronunciation and the lower part
`口`, which is responsible for the meaning. Why is `五` included in `語`? Because
it was created so. Why is this way of creating kanji so popular? Because it
will be a mess if thousands of kanjis were all pictograms, and if the
pronunciation and the meaning are combined, it will be easy to both remember
its meaning and the pronunciation.




That is called 形声. About 90% of all kanjis are created in this way. In this
case, the left side `言` is responsible for the meaning, and the right side,
`吾` is responsible for the pronunciation. In turn, `吾` is composed of the
upper part `五`, which is responsible for the pronunciation and the lower part
`口`, which is responsible for the meaning. Why is `五` included in `語`? Because
it was created so. Why is this way of creating kanji so popular? Because it
will be a mess if thousands of kanjis were all pictograms, and if the
pronunciation and the meaning are combined, it will be easy to both remember
its meaning and the pronunciation.

