The kanji 驚 驚 fundamentally represents the concept of "surprise," "astonishment," or "being startled." It encapsulates the feeling of sudden emotional reaction to something unexpected.

・On-yomi (音読み): キョウ (kyou) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): おどろ(く) (odoro(ku))

⚫︎驚く Translation: To be surprised; to be astonished. ⚫︎驚き Translation: Surprise; astonishment. ⚫︎驚天動地 きょうてんどうち Translation: Earth-shattering; astounding; astonishing.

The kanji 驚 驚 is a phono-semantic compound. ⚫︎The left side is the radical 忄, which is the "heart" or "mind" radical. It provides a semantic indication, suggesting that the meaning is related to emotions or feelings. ⚫︎The right side is 敬, which provides the phonetic component, indicating the sound and contributing to the overall meaning. Thus, 驚 驚 is a combination of the heart/mind radical indicating emotion and a phonetic component suggesting sound. This composition effectively conveys the idea of a startled reaction involving the heart or mind, brought on by something unexpected.