架子
jià zi · HSK 7
shelf
🗄️ 架 = frame/rack + 子 = noun suffix; jià sounds like jack that holds a frame up
架 — wood 木 + add 加 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 木 (wood) gives the meaning, since a 架 is a wooden frame, rack, or shelf used to support things. 加 (jiā) supplies the sound. From 'wooden frame' it extended to verbs like 'to set up,' 'to prop up,' and to a measure word for framed objects such as airplanes.
子 — pictograph of a baby/child with arms out
子 began as a pictograph of a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms, originally meaning 'baby' or 'child.' From there it broadened to 'son,' 'offspring,' and a respectful suffix for masters like 孔子 (Confucius). It also became one of the twelve earthly branches.