保証
ほしょう · hoshou · JLPT N3 · noun
guarantee
🛡️📜 保証 = protect + proof: a promise backed by evidence
保 (ho) means protect or keep safe, as in 保護 protection. 証 (shou) means proof or evidence, as in 証明 proof. If you protect something and have proof of it, that's a guarantee or a warranty.
保 — person 亻 + 呆 (child/protect phonetic)
Originally an ideograph showing an adult carrying a child on the back, meaning to protect or shield. The right side 呆 evolved from a depiction of a swaddled infant. Over time the meaning broadened from 'protect a child' to 'preserve, guarantee, keep safe.'