下品
げひん · gehin · JLPT N2 · na-adj
vulgar
下 = below + 品 = grade or quality: taste ranked below good grade, so vulgar
下 means under or low, and 品 means grade or quality. Something ranked below good taste is 下品, coarse and vulgar. Its opposite is 上品, meaning refined.
下 — horizontal line 一 + mark below
下 is an indicative character: a long horizontal line represents a reference level, and a shorter stroke placed beneath it points to the area below. The original meaning 'below, down' comes directly from this spatial diagram, and it later extended to verbs like 'descend' and 'lower'.
品 — three 口 (mouth) stacked
品 is an ideogram showing three 口 (mouths or openings) piled together. The repetition of 口 suggests many people, items, or voices, which gave rise to meanings like 'kinds,' 'goods,' 'rank,' and 'to taste/judge.' The triple stacking is a common Chinese device for indicating plurality or variety.