把手
bǎ shoǔ · HSK 7
handle
🚪🤝 ba3 shou3 = grasp + hand — the part you grab with your hand
The first character 把 means to grasp or hold, and 手 means hand. A handle is literally the grasp-hand part of a door, drawer, or tool — the thing shaped for your hand to grip.
把 — hand radical 扌 + 巴 (phonetic)
把 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning 'to grasp or hold,' while 巴 supplies the sound. Originally meaning 'to grip with the hand,' it later extended to a noun ('handle') and a grammatical particle that fronts the object of a verb.
手 — pictograph of a hand with five fingers
手 is a pictograph showing an open hand with fingers and a wrist. Early bronze and oracle bone forms clearly depict five splayed fingers, which simplified over time into the modern shape. It keeps its original meaning of 'hand' and also serves as a radical in many characters related to hand actions.