租
zū · HSK 2
rent out
🏠 租 = 禾 (grain) + 且 (pile) — grain piled up as rent payment
In ancient China, rent was paid in grain crops, not coins. The 禾 radical (grain stalk) plus 且 (stacked pile) captures the original sense: heaps of harvested grain handed over to the landlord.
租 — grain 禾 + 且 (phonetic)
租 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The grain radical 禾 on the left signals the meaning, since taxes and rent in ancient China were paid in harvested grain. The right side 且 supplies the sound. Originally it meant grain tax paid to the state, later broadening to 'rent' or 'lease' in general.