一致
いっち · icchi · JLPT N3 · noun
agreement
🤝 一致 = one + arrive at: everyone arrives at one answer, so they agree
一 means one, and 致 means to bring or reach. When all views reach a single point, you have agreement. Sound hook: icchi sounds like each-y, as in each one saying the same thing. Common phrase: 意見が一致する, opinions agree.
一 — single horizontal stroke
一 is one of the simplest pictographs in Chinese, depicting a single horizontal line to represent the number one. It has retained essentially the same form since oracle bone script over 3,000 years ago. By extension it also means 'first,' 'whole,' or 'same.'
致 — arrive 至 + strike/go 攵
Originally a compound of 至 (to arrive, showing an arrow reaching the ground) and 攵 (a hand with a stick, indicating action). Together they suggested 'to cause to arrive' or 'to send/deliver,' which broadened into modern senses like 'to send, devote, or bring about.'