科学
kēxué · HSK 2
science
🔬 科学 = branch (of study) + learning
科 originally meant a category or classification (the 禾 grain radical + 斗 measure, sorting grain by type), and 学 means to study or learn. Together: the systematic study of categorized knowledge — science.
科 — grain 禾 + measure 斗
科 combines 禾 (grain) and 斗 (a dipper/measure), originally depicting the act of measuring or grading grain. From this, it extended to mean classification, category, and branch of study. Today it commonly appears in words for science (科学) and academic disciplines.
学 — hands 𦥑 + roof 冖 + child 子
Originally 學, depicting two hands manipulating something (often interpreted as counting rods or the 爻 trigram symbols) under a roof, with a child 子 below — a child learning under instruction. The simplified form 学 replaces the top with a stylized 龸. Core meaning has always been 'to study, learn'.