位置
いち · ichi · JLPT N3 · noun
topographic point
📍 位置 = rank 位 + put 置: the spot where something is put
位 means rank or position (as in 地位, status) and 置 means to put or place (as in 置く, oku). Together they mean where a thing is placed. Its reading いち sounds just like 一 (ichi, one), so think of it as spot number one on a map.
位 — person radical 亻 + stand 立
位 combines the person radical 亻 with 立 (to stand), originally depicting a person standing in their proper place at court. It came to mean 'position, rank, or place,' and is now also used as a polite measure word for people.
置 — net 罒 (top) + straight 直 (bottom)
Originally a phono-semantic compound: the net 网/罒 on top suggested the idea of catching or pardoning a criminal, while 直 ('straight, upright') gave the sound and hinted at setting things upright. The meaning shifted from 'pardon, set free' to the modern senses 'place, put, set up, establish'.