邮票
yóupiào · HSK 3
postage stamp
📮 邮 (post/mail) + 票 (ticket/slip) = mail-ticket = postage stamp
邮 means post or mail (as in 邮局 post office); 票 is a ticket or slip (as in 车票 train ticket, 发票 receipt). A mail-ticket is what you stick on a letter to pay the postal fee — a stamp.
邮 — 由 (cause) + 阝 (city radical 邑)
邮 means 'post, mail.' The right-side 阝 derives from 邑 (city/settlement), pointing to relay stations along roads. The simplified form pairs this with 由, which here mainly carries the sound. Historically 邮 referred to the courier posts where messengers changed horses to relay official messages.
票 — fire 火 (bottom) + 覀 (cover/west)
Originally written with 火 (fire) below 覀, depicting sparks or embers rising from a fire. The early meaning was 'flying sparks' or 'light, floating thing.' Over time it shifted to mean a slip of paper, ticket, or note — something light and easily passed around.