交通
こうつう · koutsuu · JLPT N4 · noun
transportation
🚦🚗 交通 = cross (交) + pass through (通): paths crossing and flowing = traffic
交 means to cross or exchange, as in 交差点 (intersection). 通 means to pass through, as in 通る (to pass). Routes that cross and let things pass through add up to traffic and transportation. Sound hook: kou-tsuu, two long beats, like a two-lane road.
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.
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'.