小路
xiǎo lù · HSK 7
road
小 small + 路 road = a small road, i.e. a lane or trail
Decomposition: 小 (xiǎo, small) plus 路 (lù, road) literally reads small-road. A small road is exactly a minor road, lane, or footpath.
小 — three small strokes around a central vertical
小 is a pictograph originally showing three tiny dots or specks, suggesting small particles or grains. Over time the dots became stylized strokes flanking a central line. The core meaning 'small' has stayed remarkably stable from oracle bone script to today.
路 — foot 足 + each 各 (phonetic)
路 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The foot radical 足 on the left signals meaning related to walking or travel, while 各 on the right hints at the ancient pronunciation. Originally referring to a road traveled on foot, it broadened to mean 'road, path, route' in general.