科幻
kē huàn · HSK 7
fiction
🛸 科幻 = 科 (science, from 科学) + 幻 (fantasy/illusion, from 幻想) = sci-fi
科 carries the science sense it has in 科学 (science), and 幻 is the fantasy/illusion it lends to 幻想 (daydream, fantasy). Glue them and you get science-fantasy, the standard word for science fiction. The sound kē huàn also clips the full form 科学幻想.
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.