用途
yòngtú · HSK 4
purpose
🛠️ 用 (use) + 途 (way/path) = the way something is used
用 means 'to use' and 途 means 'road' or 'way'. Together 用途 literally reads as 'use-path' — the way or purpose for which something is used. Common in phrases about a tool's function or application.
用 — pictograph of a bucket or wooden pail
用 originally depicted a bucket or container, possibly a sacrificial vessel made of wood. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'to use' or 'employ,' losing its concrete object sense. The modern meaning 'use' has been standard since early classical Chinese.