录音机
lù yīn jī · HSK 6
tape recorder
📼 录音机 = record + sound + machine — a sound-recording machine
录音 (record-sound) is a common pair meaning audio recording. 机 (machine) is the same suffix as in 飞机 (airplane) and 手机 (phone), so 录音机 is literally a sound-recording machine.
录 — 彐 (hand) + 氺 (water/threads)
Originally depicted a hand carving or inscribing characters, with the lower element suggesting shavings or marks. The early meaning was 'to carve' or 'to engrave', which extended to 'to record' or 'to write down'. Today it primarily means 'to record' or 'copy'.