列
れつ · retsu · JLPT N3 · noun
queue
🚶 列 = 歹 bones + 刂 knife: carcass cut up and laid out in a row
Etymology: the knife radical 刂 sits beside 歹 (cut bones), so the original sense was to divide and set pieces side by side, hence row or line. Sound hook: retsu sounds like let's queue.
列 — 歹 (bone fragments) + 刂 (knife)
Originally depicted cutting bones apart with a knife, showing the act of separating things into pieces. The meaning extended from 'to divide' to 'arrange in a row' or 'sequence,' since dividing items naturally produces an ordered series. Today it primarily means 'row,' 'line,' or 'to list.'