慢
màn · HSK 1
slow
🐌 慢 = 忄(heart) + 曼 (mán, lengthy) — heart drawn out long = slow
The 忄radical signals feeling/mind; 曼 means prolonged or drawn out and also carries the sound. A mind that takes a long time to act = slow, tardy, even rude in pace.
慢 — heart radical 忄 + 曼 màn (phonetic)
慢 is a phonetic-semantic compound. The heart radical 忄 signals a feeling or mental state, while 曼 supplies the sound màn. Originally it meant 'lazy' or 'negligent,' a slack state of mind, and later shifted to its modern sense of 'slow.'