利用
りよう · riyou · JLPT N4 · noun
use
🔧 利用 = profit (利) + use (用): put something to profitable use
利 means benefit or advantage, 用 means use. Together: using something to your advantage, hence utilization. The reading riyou is ri (as in 利益 rieki, profit) plus you (as in 用意 youi, preparation).
利 — grain 禾 + knife 刂
Originally a pictograph showing a knife (刂) cutting grain (禾), depicting harvest. From the idea of a sharp blade reaping crops, it extended to mean 'sharp,' then 'benefit,' 'profit,' or 'advantage' — the gain that comes from a successful harvest.
用 — pictograph of a bucket or wooden pail
用 originally depicted a bucket or container, possibly a sacrificial vessel made of wood. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'to use' or 'employ,' losing its concrete object sense. The modern meaning 'use' has been standard since early classical Chinese.