What 처 means
It takes its meaning from the Korean word around it.
Hangul was introduced in 1443 to write Korean in syllable blocks; its explanatory book appeared in 1446. 처 is a regular block, not a pictogram.
Context decides: 처 (妻) can mean “wife”; -처 (處) means “place”; 처제 is a kinship term.
How do you type 처?
Type ㅊ then ㅓ in a Korean IME.
The IME combines those jamo into 처. Decomposed input may show the pieces separately; that changes representation, not meaning.
What it means when someone sends it to you
2 readings처 as a noun
“Wife,” in the Sino-Korean noun 처 (妻).
처 as a word ending
“Place,” as the suffix -처 (處).
Questions people ask
1Why does 처 show as a box on some devices?
Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.
How to type 처
Windows (Word)
Alt+XType CC98, then Alt+X to get 처.
Windows
Win+Rrun charmap for the full table, or use the emoji picker's Ω symbols tab (Win + .).
macOS
Control+Command+SpaceOpen the character viewer and search “hangul syllable ceo”.
Linux
Ctrl+Shift+UType cc98, then Enter or Space.
HTML
처CSS
\CC98Korean IME
Switch to Korean input; type ㅊ, then ㅓ.
Codes and encoding1 code points
HTML decimal
처
HTML hex
처
CSS content
content: "\CC98";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%EC%B2%98
1
On screen
1
Code points
1
JS .length
3
UTF-8 bytes
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.