赠
zèng · HSK 5
to give as a present
🎁 贝 (shell/money) + 曾 (zēng, phonetic) — giving wealth as a gift
贝 marks valuables (ancient shell currency), and 曾 carries the zēng sound that shifted to zèng. The semantic-phonetic pair signals bestowing something of value, which fits the core meaning of presenting a gift.
赠 — shell radical 貝 + 曾 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 貝 (shell/money) signals the meaning, since shells were ancient currency, while 曾 supplies the sound. The original sense was to present a gift of value to someone, which broadened into the modern meaning 'to give as a present' or 'bestow'.