カク, くるわ, ひろ

enclosure, quarters, fortification, red-light district

JLPT1 G7 S11 F1670

As per (enclosure) + 邑 village/settlement → *enclosure* about a village/settlement → *quarters*; *red-light district*. The phonetic evidence suggests that the element in 郭 has replaced a graphically similar element indicating a circular enclosure; compare .

[Full Kanji Etymology List]