揣
chuāi , chuǎi · HSK 7
to estimate
☕🧥 Sounds like CHAI — hand stuffs chai packets into every pocket
The hand radical (扌) flags a physical action. Link the CHAI sound to stuffing tea packets into coat pockets. The secondary meaning — to estimate — is sizing up how many packets fit.
揣 — hand 扌 + 端 (duān) phonetic
A phono-semantic compound. The hand radical 扌 indicates the meaning, since the original sense involves carrying something tucked inside one's clothes. The right side 耑 (related to 端) supplies the sound. The meaning later extended to 'estimate' or 'guess' (chuǎi), as in weighing something by feel.