潮
cháo · HSK 4
tide
🌊 氵(water) + 朝 (morning) — morning waters = tide
The radical 氵marks water; 朝 means morning and also gives the sound (cháo). Tides rise and fall on a daily cycle, so 'morning water' became the character for tide. By extension: current, moist, damp.
潮 — water 氵 + morning 朝
潮 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning (tide, sea water), while 朝 (morning) supplies the sound. Originally it referred to the morning tide, later broadened to mean tides in general and, by extension, currents or trends.