法语
Fǎ yǔ · HSK 6
French (language)
🇫🇷 法 (fǎ) = law/France + 语 (yǔ) = language
法 is the same character used for 法国 (France), borrowed from the old transliteration 法兰西 (Fǎlánxī). Pair it with 语 (language) and you get the language of France.
法 — water 氵 + go 去
Originally written 灋, combining the water radical 氵 (suggesting a level standard, like water finding its level), the mythical beast 廌 (which judged guilt), and 去 (to remove or banish). The 廌 was later dropped, leaving 法. The core meaning evolved from 'law' or 'standard' to also include 'method' and 'way of doing'.