center, middle
央 centers on the idea of being in the middle or at the heart of something. Its meanings of center and middle are direct expressions of this core spatial concept.
央 is thought to depict a person standing in the center of a space, with the top representing the head and the lower strokes indicating the body and boundaries. The exact historical development is somewhat uncertain, but the association with centrality is well established.
The shape of 央 looks like a person standing squarely in the middle of a frame: the top is the head, the wide horizontal stroke is the shoulders, and the lower strokes mark the center position. This person is right in the center of everything.
For オウ, imagine a person standing in the center of a room and letting out a loud 'Oh!' when they realize they are the center of attention: Oh -> オウ.
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centre; center; middle; heart
middle; centre; center
Central Asia
Chuo University
Central African Republic
Chūōkōron (monthly literary magazine)
epicentre (of an earthquake); epicenter
Korean Central News Agency
Central Intelligence Agency (US); CIA
Linear Chūō Shinkansen
China Central Television; CCTV
Central Asian countries
Central African Republic
Central America
Central Europe
Chuo Trust And Banking Company, Limited
median
Centre Party; Center Party
Central Community Chest of Japan
central processing unit; CPU