湖泊
hú pō · HSK 7
lake
🏞️ 湖泊 = 湖 lake + 泊 still water; two water words paired to mean lakes
湖 is the everyday word for lake; 泊 means a calm body of standing water (also to moor or anchor). Pairing the two synonyms gives 湖泊, the general term for lakes. Both share the 氵water radical on the left.
湖 — water 氵 + 胡 (phonetic)
湖 is a phono-semantic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning, indicating something related to water, while 胡 (hú) supplies the sound. Together they denote a lake — a body of standing water — which has been its core meaning since early usage.