河流
héliú · HSK 7
river
🌊 河 river + 流 flow = a flowing river; héliú the water that runs
河 — water radical 氵 + 可 (kě, phonetic)
河 is a classic semantic-phonetic compound: 氵 (water) gives the meaning 'river', while 可 supplies the sound. Originally 河 referred specifically to the Yellow River, and only later broadened to mean rivers in general.
流 — water radical 氵 + 㐬 (phonetic, child being born)
流 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning, while 㐬 depicts an infant being born head-down with amniotic fluid, suggesting downward flow. Together they convey water flowing, and by extension 'to flow' or 'current'.