克服
こくふく · kokufuku · JLPT N3 · noun
overcome
🧗🏔️ 克服 = conquer (克) + make it submit (服): beat it until it yields
克 means to conquer or prevail, as in 克己 (self-control). 服 means to submit or yield, as in 服従 (obedience). You 克服 a hardship when you conquer it so fully that it gives in. Common uses: 困難を克服する, 弱点を克服する.
克 — top 十 + brother 兄 (helmeted figure)
Originally a pictograph of a person bearing a heavy helmet or burden on the head, suggesting the strength needed to carry or subdue a load. From 'to bear a weight' it extended to 'overcome, conquer, subdue,' and later 'to be able to.' The modern shape blends 十 above 兄.
服 — 月 (moon/flesh) + 𠬝 (kneeling figure with hand)
Originally depicted a hand subduing a kneeling person beside a boat (later simplified to 月), suggesting submission or service. The meaning extended from 'submit/serve' to 'clothing' (what one wears in service) and 'to take' as in medicine. The phonetic role of 𠬝 helps fix the reading fú.