渗透
shèn toù · HSK 7
to permeate
💧🧽 渗 (seep, water radical 氵) + 透 (penetrate through) = liquid seeping all the way through
渗 carries the 氵 water radical and means to ooze or seep; 透 means to pass through or penetrate. Together they describe water working its way through a barrier, which extends to infiltrate and osmosis.
渗 — water radical 氵 + 参 (cān, phonetic)
渗 is a phono-semantic compound. The 氵 radical signals a meaning related to water or liquid, while 参 supplies the sound. The character originally described water seeping or soaking through something, and it still carries that core sense of slow permeation today.
透 — walk radical 辶 + 秀 (xiù, elegant/phonetic)
透 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The walk radical 辶 suggests movement or passing through, while 秀 supplies the sound. The original sense was 'to pass through' or 'penetrate,' which extended to meanings like 'thoroughly,' 'transparent,' and 'leak through.'