住
zhù · HSK 1
stay
🏠 亻(person) + 主 (master) — the master of a house lives there
住 combines the person radical 亻with 主 (master/host). The master of a household is the one who inhabits and stays. 主 also hints at the sound zhǔ → zhù.
住 — person radical 亻 + 主 (master/zhǔ, phonetic)
住 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 亻 (person) gives the meaning—something a person does—while 主 supplies the sound, originally 'zhǔ' (master, a lamp standing in place). Together they suggest a person staying put, yielding the senses 'to live, dwell, reside, stop'.