well, well crib, town, community
井 centers on a structured enclosure for water: a well. The town and community meanings extend from the idea of a shared well as a gathering place.
井 is a pictograph of a well crib or frame, with the four strokes representing the wooden structure around a water source.
The four strokes form a square frame, like the wooden crib around a well. Picture a village well where people gather, giving rise to the ideas of town and community.
For セイ, imagine saying 'say' when you draw water from the well: 'say' -> セイ, as you call out to the community around the well.
Fukui (city, prefecture)
well
ceiling
water well
round well
Marui
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
the street; the town
Yoshino cherry (Prunus yedoensis)
mountain well
side of well
oil well
well curb; well kerb
newt (esp. the Japanese fire belly newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster)
Mitsui and Co.
well water
blue sky
well curb consisting of wooden beams crossed at the ends
Fukui University
ceiling boards