仕方
しかた · shikata · JLPT N4 · noun
way
🛠️ 仕方 = do (仕) + way (方): the way of doing
仕 stands in for the verb する (to do), and 方 (kata) means way or method, the same -kata as in 食べ方 (way of eating). So shi-kata is literally the do-way. Known from 仕方がない: there is no way, it can't be helped.
方 — pictograph of a plow or two boats joined side by side
方 originated as a pictograph, traditionally interpreted as a plow handle or two boats lashed together. From the idea of paired boats it extended to mean 'side by side,' then 'square,' 'direction,' and 'region.' It was later borrowed for the abstract sense of 'method' or 'way.'