驾照
jià zhào · HSK 5
license
🚗📄 驾 = drive + 照 = certificate/permit
驾 means to drive (think 加 jiā + 马 horse — the old verb for harnessing). 照 means a permit or certificate (same 照 as 护照 passport). Together: drive-permit = driver's license.
驾 — 加 (jiā, phonetic) + 馬 horse
A semantic-phonetic compound: 馬 'horse' gives the meaning (yoking horses to a vehicle), while 加 supplies the sound. Originally meant to harness horses to a chariot, then broadened to 'drive' a vehicle and, by extension, to pilot or operate.
照 — 昭 (bright) phonetic + 灬 (fire radical)
照 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The bottom 灬 is a variant of 火 'fire', giving the meaning of light or illumination, while 昭 'bright' on top supplies the sound 'zhào' and reinforces the brightness sense. It originally meant to shine light on something, later extending to 'reflect', 'photograph', and 'according to'.