お金持ち
かねもち; おかねもち · kanemochi; okanemochi · JLPT N4 · noun
rich person
💰 お金持ち = o (polite) + kane (money) + mochi (holding): a money-holder
金 kane is money, with the polite prefix お. 持ち comes from 持つ motsu, to hold or have. A rich person is literally someone who holds money. Same 持ち appears in 力持ち chikaramochi, a strength-holder, meaning a strong person.
金 — roof 亼 + two dots (metal nuggets) + earth 土
Originally a pictograph of metal nuggets buried in the earth beneath a covering, with the two dots representing pieces of ore. It first meant 'metal' broadly, then narrowed to 'gold' as the most precious metal, and by extension 'money'.
持 — hand 扌 + temple 寺 (phonetic)
持 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 carries the meaning 'to hold' or 'grasp', while 寺 supplies the sound (it once read close to chí). Originally depicting a hand holding something firmly, it broadened to mean 'maintain', 'support', or 'keep' over time.