共存
きょうぞん · kyouzon · JLPT N1 · noun
coexistence
🐱🐶 共 = together + 存 = exist: exist together, so coexistence
共 means shared or together, and 存 means to exist or survive. Combined, they describe two things existing side by side in the same shared space.
共 — 两手 (廾) holding up an object
共 originally depicted two hands raised together, lifting or offering something jointly. The ancient form showed a vessel or object held up by paired hands, conveying shared action. From 'lifting together' it shifted to mean 'together,' 'common,' or 'share.'
存 — 才 (talent/sprout) + 子 (child)
Originally written with 才 (a sprout breaking ground) over 子 (child), suggesting a child being raised or kept alive. The character came to mean 'to exist, to remain, to preserve.' Modern uses like 存在 (exist) and 保存 (preserve) reflect this core sense of continued being.