Compound characters are letters or symbols that are formed by combining two or more simpler characters. In many writing systems, such as Chinese, these characters can represent complex ideas or concepts through their combined meanings. For example, the character for "tree" is made up of two simpler components that convey the idea of a tree. In English, compound characters can also refer to ligatures, which are combinations of two letters that create a single glyph, like "æ" in "aesthetic." These combinations can enhance readability and aesthetic appeal in typography. Overall, compound characters play a significant role in various languages and writing systems.