受け取る
うけとる · uketoru · JLPT N3 · verb-godan
to receive
📦 受け取る = 受ける (receive) + 取る (take): take what is handed to you
Two verbs joined: 受ける (to catch, receive) and 取る (to take). You catch something and take hold of it, like a parcel, a letter or a payment. The noun 受け取り means receipt, and it appears on delivery slips.
受 — hand 爫 (top) + 冖 + hand 又 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph showing two hands passing an object (the middle 冖 represented a boat or tray) between them. It depicted the act of giving and receiving, so the character meant both 'to give' and 'to receive.' Later 授 was created with the hand radical 扌 to mean 'give,' leaving 受 to mean 'receive' or 'accept.'
取 — ear 耳 + hand 又
取 originally depicted a hand (又) grasping an ear (耳), referencing the ancient practice of soldiers cutting off enemies' left ears as proof of kills to claim rewards. The meaning broadened from 'seize/take by force' to the general sense of 'take, get, obtain' used today.