划船
huáchuán · HSK 3
paddle/row boat
🚣 划 = row/paddle + 船 = boat
划 means to row, paddle, or scratch; 船 is boat. Together: row-boat, i.e. to paddle or row a boat. 划 also shows up in 划分 (divide) and 划船 keeps its rowing sense.
划 — knife radical 刂 + 戈 (dagger-axe)
Originally written 劃, a semantic-phonetic compound: 刂 (knife) gives the meaning of cutting or marking, while 畫 supplied the sound and the sense of drawing lines. The simplified form 划 reuses an older character meaning to row a boat. Today it covers both senses: huá (to row, to scratch) and huà (to mark off, to plan).
船 — boat radical 舟 + 㕣 (phonetic)
船 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 舟 depicts a boat and gives the meaning, while the right side 㕣 originally suggested the sound. Together they refer to a ship or vessel, a meaning that has stayed stable since early seal script.