安い
やすい · yasui · JLPT N5 · i-adj
inexpensive
🏷️ 安 = peace: a price that leaves your wallet at peace — yasui, yes-sweet deal
安 means calm or safe (as in 安心, relief). A cheap price is one that causes no worry, so 安い came to mean inexpensive. Sound hook: yasui starts like yes — the word you say to a low price.
安 — roof 宀 + woman 女
A pictographic compound showing a woman 女 under a roof 宀, suggesting safety and tranquility at home. The original meaning 'peaceful, calm, safe' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It later extended to verbs like 'to settle' or 'to install'.