限
xiàn · HSK 7
restrict
🚧⛰️ 阝(mound) + 艮 = a hill-barrier that blocks how far you can go: a limit
The 阝 on the left is a mound or earthwork; 艮 supplies the sound (gèn→xiàn). A raised boundary of earth marks where you must stop, hence to restrict or set a limit. Related to 阝 words about borders and blocking.
限 — mound radical 阝 + 艮 (phonetic)
限 combines the 阝 (mound/hill) radical on the left with 艮 on the right, which provides the sound. The mound element suggests a boundary or barrier formed by terrain, and the character came to mean 'limit' or 'boundary' — the edge one cannot cross.