下着
したぎ · shitagi · JLPT N4 · noun
underwear
🩲 下着 = under (下) + wear (着): literally under-wear
下 (shita) means under or below, and 着 (gi, from kiru, to wear) means clothing. The k of ki softens to g in compounds, as in 水着 (mizugi, swimsuit) and 上着 (uwagi, outer wear). Shita + gi matches the English word piece for piece.
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'.
着 — sheep 羊 (top) + eye 目 (bottom)
着 originated as a variant of 著, which depicted plants emerging visibly above ground (grass radical 艹 over 者). Over time 着 split off to carry meanings like 'attach,' 'wear,' or a verb suffix marking ongoing action (zhe), while 著 kept senses like 'manifest' or 'author.'