杂志
zázhì · HSK 3
magazine
📖 杂 (miscellaneous) + 志 (record) = a magazine, a record of mixed things
杂 means miscellaneous or mixed; 志 means record or annals. Together 杂志 literally reads as a mixed-record — exactly what a magazine is: assorted articles bound together. Same 志 appears in 日志 (diary, daily-record).
杂 — 九 (nine) + 木 (tree) — simplified from 雜
Simplified from 雜, which combined 衣 (clothing) with 集 (gather), suggesting clothes of mixed colors gathered together. The original sense was 'mixed, varied,' extended to 'miscellaneous' and 'jumbled.' Modern 杂 keeps the meaning but uses a simpler shape.