密
みつ · mitsu · JLPT N3 · noun
midst
🌲 mitsu sounds like meet-su: packed so close the parts all meet
密 = 宓 (still, quiet) over 山 (mountain): a hushed, thickly wooded mountain. That gives both senses, dense and close, and also secret, as in 秘密 himitsu. The same sound appears in 蜜 mitsu, honey: thick and sticky.
密 — 宀 roof + 必 (phonetic) + 山 mountain
Originally referring to a hidden, sheltered place in the mountains, 密 combines 宀 (roof/cover) over 必 (phonetic) with 山 (mountain) at the base. The meaning extended from 'secluded mountain hideaway' to 'dense, close, secret'. Today it commonly means dense, intimate, or secret.