易拉罐
yì lā guàn · HSK 7
can
🥫 易拉罐 = easy (易) + pull (拉) + can/tin (罐) = the easy-to-pull-open can
A literal compound: 易 easy + 拉 pull names the ring-pull, and 罐 is the can or tin it opens. So a 易拉罐 is the easy-pull tin, the kind of drink can you open by yanking the ring tab.
拉 — hand radical 扌 + 立 (stand, phonetic)
拉 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 indicates an action done with the hand, while 立 (lì, 'stand') supplies the sound, shifted to lā. The original sense is to pull or drag with the hand, which remains its core meaning today.
罐 — 缶 (jar) radical + 雚 (heron) phonetic
罐 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 缶 element on the left means 'earthen jar or pottery vessel' and gives the meaning, while 雚 (a type of heron) on the right supplies the sound, related to 'guàn'. Originally referring to clay pots, it now denotes any can, jar, or tin.