学説
がくせつ · gakusetsu · JLPT N1 · noun
theory
📚 学 (study) + 説 (explanation) = the explanation that comes from study: theory
学 means study or learning, and 説 means explanation or doctrine. Together, 学説 is a proposed explanation that results from studying something: a theory.
学 — hands 𦥑 + roof 冖 + child 子
Originally 學, depicting two hands manipulating something (often interpreted as counting rods or the 爻 trigram symbols) under a roof, with a child 子 below — a child learning under instruction. The simplified form 学 replaces the top with a stylized 龸. Core meaning has always been 'to study, learn'.