几乎
jīhū · HSK 4
near
几乎 = jī (almost, a small table) + hū (classical particle ≈ 'at/to')
几 originally depicted a low table but in modern Mandarin commonly means 'almost/how many'. 乎 is a classical function word. Together 几乎 literally reads 'almost-at', i.e. nearly, on the verge of.
几 — single component: small table 几
几 is a pictograph of a small low table or stool, showing two legs supporting a flat top. It originally meant 'a small table' and still carries that sense in words like 茶几 (tea table). It was later borrowed phonetically for the unrelated meaning 'how many / several' (jǐ), which is now its most common use.