句読点
くとうてん · kutouten · JLPT N2 · noun
marks
句 (phrase) + 読 (read) + 点 (dot): dots that mark where you pause while reading
句読点 = 句 (clause/phrase) + 読 (reading) + 点 (dot). Kutouten are the dots and commas that mark where a sentence pauses and breaks while you read.
句 — 勹 (wrap) + 口 (mouth/enclosure)
Originally a pictograph showing a hook or curve enclosing something, depicting a bend or turn. The form combines 勹 (wrap) around 口, suggesting words bound together. It later came to mean a complete sentence or phrase, the basic unit of bounded speech.
点 — fire radical 灬 + 占 (zhān, phonetic)
Originally written 點, a semantic-phonetic compound: 黑 (black) gave the meaning 'small black mark or dot' while 占 supplied the sound. It first referred to ink spots, then extended to 'point, drop, a little,' and verbs like 'to mark' or 'to light (a fire),' reflected in the simplified form's 灬 (fire) component.