快递
kuài dì · HSK 4
express delivery
📦 快 = fast + 递 = deliver/hand over
快 means fast or quick; 递 means to hand over or pass along. Together 快递 literally reads as fast-delivery, the standard term for courier or express shipping services.
快 — heart radical 忄 + 夬 (phonetic)
快 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 忄 carries the meaning, since the original sense referred to a feeling of pleasure or delight. The right side 夬 supplies the sound. The meaning later extended from 'pleased' to 'quick, fast', the dominant modern sense.
递 — 辶 (walk) + 弟 (younger brother, phonetic)
递 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 radical means 'walk/movement,' giving the sense of carrying or passing something along a path. 弟 supplies the sound. The character originally meant to hand over or pass in succession, which extends to modern senses like 'deliver' and 'in turn.'