靠
kào · HSK 2
depend/rely on
🤝 告 (tell) + 非 (not) — originally meant 'to come up against, lean on'
靠 combines 告 (gào, giving the sound) with 非 (fēi, phonetic-semantic hint). Modern sense: to lean on, depend on, or rely on. Common in 靠近 (kàojìn, draw near) and 可靠 (kěkào, reliable).
靠 — 告 (gào, phonetic) + 非 (fēi)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 告 supplies the sound (gào → kào) and 非 ('back-to-back') hints at the meaning of leaning. Originally meant 'to lean against' something, then extended to 'rely on, depend on,' and in modern usage also 'reliable' or 'near to.'