回数
かいすう · kaisuu · JLPT N2 · noun
multiplication
🔢 回 = time or round + 数 = number: a count of how many times something happens
回 means turn or occurrence (as in 回る, to go around), and 数 means number. Together they count occurrences, like how many laps a loop has gone through.
回 — enclosure 囗 + smaller 囗 inside
回 is a pictograph of a swirling whirlpool or coiled spiral, shown as nested squares in modern form. The original meaning was 'to revolve' or 'turn around,' which extended to 'return' and 'a time/occurrence.' It also appears as a phonetic in characters like 茴 and 廻.
数 — 婁 (lóu, phonetic) + 攵 (action radical)
数 is a phono-semantic compound. The right side 攵 (a hand holding a stick) suggests an action, originally tallying or counting by striking marks. The left side 婁 supplies the sound. Over time the meaning broadened from 'to count' to 'number' and 'several'.