羽毛球
yǔ máo qiú · HSK 5
shuttlecock
🏸 羽 feather + 毛 fur/hair + 球 ball = feathered ball
羽毛 is the standard compound for feather/plumage (羽 = feather, 毛 = hair/fur), and 球 means ball. A feathered ball is exactly what a shuttlecock is — the cork base with feathers stuck in it.
毛 — pictograph of hair/fur, 4 strokes
毛 is a pictograph showing a tuft of hair or animal fur, with strands fanning out from a base. The original oracle bone form depicted feathers or fur clearly, and the meaning broadened from 'hair/fur' to include 'wool,' 'down,' and figuratively 'tiny' or 'rough.' It also became a common surname.
球 — jade radical 玉/王 + qiu 求 (phonetic)
球 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 王 is the 'jade' radical, indicating the original meaning: a fine piece of jade or a jade ornament. The right side 求 supplies the sound 'qiu'. Over time the meaning broadened from a jade sphere to any round object, and today it most commonly means 'ball' or 'globe'.