课
kè · HSK 1
class
📚 课 = 讠(speech) + 果(fruit/result) — speech that yields results = a lesson
The 讠 radical marks speech/words, and 果 means fruit or result. A 课 is structured speech that produces a result — a class, lesson, or course. 果 also hints at the sound (guǒ → kè shifted over time).
课 — speech radical 讠(言) + fruit/result 果
课 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 讠(言 'speech') gives the meaning, since the original sense involved oral examination or assessment. The right side 果 ('fruit, result') supplies the sound 'guǒ', which shifted to 'kè'. The meaning later broadened from 'test' to 'lesson' or 'class'.