交ぜる
まぜる · mazeru · JLPT N3 · verb-ichidan
to be blended with
🃏 交 = crossing; mazeru sounds like maze, where paths cross and mingle
交 means crossing or exchange, as in 交差 (intersection). 交ぜる mixes things that stay distinct, like cards shuffled into a deck or threads woven together. 混ぜる is for blending until the parts merge.
交 — top 亠 + 父-like crossed legs
Originally a pictograph of a person standing with legs crossed, showing the idea of crossing or intersecting. From this concrete image, the meaning extended to abstract senses like 'exchange,' 'interact,' and 'hand over.' Modern uses such as 交流 (exchange) and 交通 (traffic) all trace back to this core notion of crossing.