値段
ねだん · nedan · JLPT N4 · noun
monetary value
🏷️ 値段 = value (値) + step/grade (段): the value's level, i.e. price
値 (ne) is the native Japanese word for value or worth, and 段 (dan) means step, grade or level. Together they name the level at which something's value is set. Sound hook: nedan is the amount you NEED on hand to buy it.
段 — left component 𠂉 + right component 殳 (weapon/strike)
段 originally depicted striking or hammering a piece of stone or metal with a tool, shown by the 殳 'strike' element on the right. From this 'hammering/forging' sense it extended to mean a section or segment cut off, and today it commonly means a paragraph, stage, or piece.