夸
kuā · HSK 7
to praise
👏 夸 = 大 (big) on top — making things big = to boast, exaggerate, praise
The top half is 大, big. To 夸 is to make something sound big — whether that is praising someone up or puffing up your own deeds. Same word covers honest praise and over-the-top exaggeration.
夸 — big 大 + on/in 亏 (phonetic)
夸 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 大 ('big') gives the meaning of exaggeration or grandness, while 亏 supplies the sound. Originally it meant to boast or speak grandly, and it still carries senses of 'brag' and 'praise' in modern Chinese.