纳税
nà shuì · HSK 7
to pay taxes
💰 纳 = submit/hand over + 税 = tax; together: hand over the tax = pay taxes
税 (shuì) is the character for tax; it shares the 禾 grain radical because old taxes were paid in harvested grain. 纳 (nà) means to submit or hand in, so 纳税 is literally handing in your tax.
税 — grain radical 禾 + 兑 (exchange/phonetic)
税 combines 禾 (grain) with 兑 (exchange), which also hints at the sound. In ancient China taxes were paid in grain, so the character originally meant a levy of harvest given to the state. Its meaning later broadened to taxes and duties of any kind.