初級
しょきゅう · shokyuu · JLPT N2 · noun
degree
📚 初 (first, beginning) + 級 (grade, rank) = the first rank or grade a learner reaches
初 means first or beginning, and 級 means grade or level. Together they name the first rung on a proficiency ladder, the starting tier before intermediate.
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.