斑点
bān diǎn · HSK 7
spot
🐄🔵 BAN dots — a banned pattern of spots, like a dalmatian's coat
斑 (bān) means mottled or spotted, 点 (diǎn) means dot or point. Together they literally say spotted-dots. Think: a ban on plain fur — every surface gets speckled.
点 — fire radical 灬 + 占 (zhān, phonetic)
Originally written 點, a semantic-phonetic compound: 黑 (black) gave the meaning 'small black mark or dot' while 占 supplied the sound. It first referred to ink spots, then extended to 'point, drop, a little,' and verbs like 'to mark' or 'to light (a fire),' reflected in the simplified form's 灬 (fire) component.