予算
よさん · yosan · JLPT N3 · noun
budget
🧮💰 予算 = beforehand (予) + calculate (算): money counted out in advance
予 means in advance, as in 予約 (yoyaku, reservation). 算 means to calculate, as in 計算 (keisan, calculation). A budget is what you calculate before spending, and an estimate is a figure worked out in advance.
算 — bamboo 竹 + abacus 具 (eye 目 + two hands 廾)
Originally depicted counting with bamboo rods on an abacus-like device. The top 竹 (bamboo) refers to the bamboo counting sticks used in ancient Chinese arithmetic, while the bottom shows hands manipulating them. The meaning broadened from 'to count' to 'to calculate' or 'to plan'.