一通り
ひととおり · hitotoori · JLPT N2 · noun
briefly
🛣️ 一 (one) + 通り (pass through): one pass through the whole thing gives the general outline
一 means one and 通り means a passing-through, as on a road. One complete pass over a subject gives its broad outline, so the word means generally or briefly.
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.'
通 — 辵 (辶) walk + 甬 yǒng (phonetic)
通 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 (chuò) component means 'walk' or 'movement', giving the meaning of going through or passing. 甬 (yǒng), originally depicting a hanging bell or a path, supplies the sound. Together they convey 'to pass through, communicate, connect'.