楼
lóu · HSK 1
storey
🏙️ 木 (wood) + 婁 (phonetic lóu) — wooden multi-storey building
Radical 木 marks it as wooden construction; 婁 carries the lóu sound. Originally a multi-storey wooden tower or pavilion; now any storey of a building, and a common surname (Lou).
楼 — wood radical 木 + 婁 (lóu, phonetic)
楼 is a phono-semantic compound. The 木 radical signals wood, fitting a multi-storied wooden building, while 婁 supplies the lóu sound. Originally written 樓, it referred to a tower or upper story, and today means a multi-floor building or a specific floor.