桥
qiáo · HSK 3
bridge
🌉 乔 (qiáo) gives the sound; 木 means wood — a wooden span across water
桥 = 木 (wood) + 乔 (qiáo, tall). The 木 radical marks the meaning (wooden structure) and 乔 supplies the pronunciation. Originally wooden bridges spanning rivers; now any bridge, plus extended senses like the pons in anatomy.
桥 — wood radical 木 + 乔 (qiáo, tall)
桥 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 木 radical signals 'wood,' since early bridges were made of timber, while 乔 (qiáo, meaning tall or lofty) supplies the sound and hints at the arched, raised shape of a bridge. The combined character means 'bridge.'