党
とう · tou · JLPT N3 · noun
party
🗳️ 党 (tou) sounds like tow: a political party tows its voters along
Break it down: the bottom of 党 is 兄 (older brother), with a roof and three strokes on top. A party gathers people under one roof behind a big brother. The old form 黨 has 黑 (black) at the bottom, so think of a shady faction.
党 — top 龸 (尚 shàng phonetic) + 儿 (legs/person)
Simplified from 黨, originally written with 黑 (black) below 尚 (esteem), suggesting a darkened or shadowy faction. The simplified form replaces 黑 with 儿 (person/legs), keeping 尚 as the phonetic. Meaning shifted from 'clique' to neutral 'party' or 'association'.