2indexing radical for characters built inside a fully closed box
Tips
usage
囗 is the fully closed enclosure that surrounds a smaller element: 国, 园, 因, 困, 圆, 图, 围. Visually identical to 口 (mouth, #30) at small sizes, but always larger and tightly wraps another component.
history
Xinhua glosses 囗 as 古同围 — the proto-form of 围 (to surround). It is never a free word; the modern noun 'enclosure' or 'fence' is written 围 with a 囗 wrapping a 韦.
Radical
EnclosureKangxi #31
The closed-box radical and proto-form of 围. A productive structural slot for characters whose meaning involves boundaries, territory, or containment: 国, 园, 因, 困, 圆, 图, 围. Distinguish from 口 (mouth) — 囗 always fully wraps an inner element.
