公務
こうむ · koumu · JLPT N2 · noun
business
🏛️ 公 = public + 務 = affair, duties: official public business
公 — eight 八 + private 厶
Originally an ideograph showing 八 (to divide) over 厶 (private/self), depicting the act of splitting away from selfish interest. The combination came to mean 'public' or 'fair,' the opposite of private. It later extended to senses like 'duke,' 'lord,' and 'grandfather.'