初歩
しょほ · shoho · JLPT N2 · noun
rudiments
👣 初歩 = 初 (first) + 歩 (step): rudiments are your first steps
初 means first or beginning, and 歩 means step or walk. The basic elements of any subject are the first steps you take on it.
初 — clothes radical 衤 + knife 刀
初 combines 衤 (clothes) and 刀 (knife), depicting the act of cutting cloth to begin making a garment. From this concrete image of starting a tailoring task came the extended meaning 'beginning' or 'first'. It is an associative compound, not phonetic.