名所
めいしょ · meisho · JLPT N2 · noun
topographic point
🏯 名 = fame, name + 所 = place: a place whose name is well known, so a famous place
Etymology: 名 means fame or name, and 所 means place. Together they describe a place known by its name. Guidebooks and travel articles use this word for landmarks such as temples and castles.
名 — evening 夕 + mouth 口
A compound ideograph: in the dark of evening (夕), one cannot recognize others by sight, so the mouth (口) calls out a name to identify oneself. The original sense of 'name' broadened to include reputation, fame, and a measure word for people.
所 — door 戶 (left) + axe 斤 (right)
Originally a sound: an axe (斤) chopping wood near a door (戶), with 戶 also hinting at the pronunciation. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'place' or 'location,' and later became a grammatical particle nominalizing verbs ('that which…'). The concrete 'chopping' sense faded entirely.