夸奖
kuā jiǎng · HSK 7
to praise
👏 夸 boast/exaggerate + 奖 reward = pile on exaggerated rewards = to praise
夸 means to boast or overstate, 奖 means a prize or reward. To 夸奖 someone is to heap overstated rewards of words on them — to compliment and applaud.
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.
奖 — 将 jiāng (phonetic) + 大 (big)
Originally written 獎 with 犬 (dog) below 將, suggesting urging a dog onward—hence 'encourage, exhort.' The simplified form replaces 犬 with 大. Meaning extended from 'encourage' to 'reward' and then to 'prize, award.'