认
rèn · HSK 5
to recognize
👁️ 认 = 讠(speech) + 人(person) — knowing a person well enough to speak to them
The 讠radical signals speech/words, and 人 is person. To recognize someone is to be on speaking terms with them. The simplified form keeps this speech-plus-person logic from the traditional 認.
认 — speech radical 讠 + 忍 rěn (phonetic)
认 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the speech radical 讠 (simplified from 言) signals meaning related to words or speaking, while 忍 rěn provides the sound. The traditional form 認 carried senses of 'acknowledge' or 'recognize through speech,' which extended to today's meanings of recognizing, identifying, and admitting.