没有
méiyǒu · HSK 1
not have
🚫 没 (not) + 有 (have) = not have
没 negates possession or existence; 有 means to have or exist. Together 没有 literally stacks negation onto have, giving not have or there is not. The méi reading of 没 is reserved for this kind of negation.
没 — water 氵 + 殳 (hand with weapon)
Originally depicted something sinking or being submerged in water, combining the water radical 氵 with 殳, suggesting a hand reaching into a whirlpool. The core sense was 'to sink, drown, disappear under water.' From there it extended to 'to vanish, not have,' giving the modern negative meaning 'not, have not.'
有 — hand 𠂇 + moon/meat 月
Originally depicted a hand holding a piece of meat (月 here is the 'meat' radical, not moon), expressing the idea of possessing something. Over time the meaning broadened from 'to hold/possess' to the general sense of 'to have' or 'there is/exists'.