近日
jìn rì · HSK 6
day
📅 近日 = near + day — the days close to now, i.e. recently
近 means near or close, 日 means day or sun. Together they point to the days nearest to today — a straightforward compound meaning 'in the past few days' or 'recently'.
近 — 辶 (walk) + 斤 (axe, phonetic)
近 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 radical signals movement or distance, while 斤 (axe) supplies the sound. Together they convey the idea of a short distance to walk, hence 'near' or 'close'.
日 — pictograph of the sun
日 is a pictograph of the sun, originally drawn as a circle with a dot or stroke inside representing the sun's substance. Over time the round shape was squared off into the modern rectangular form. It means 'sun' and by extension 'day'.