蜡
là · HSK 7
wax
🕯️ là sounds like LAH — wax drips low, làva-like, melting down a candle
The 虫 radical (insect) hints at the origin: 蜡 wax was made from insect secretions, like beeswax. Sound hook: là rhymes with the start of lava, another hot substance that flows and hardens.
蜡 — insect radical 虫 + 昔 (xī, phonetic)
蜡 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 虫 radical signals a connection to insects, originally referring to wax produced by bees and other insects. 昔 supplies the sound. Over time the meaning broadened to wax in general, including candles.