小銭
こぜに · kozeni · JLPT N3 · noun
coin
🪙 小銭 = small + coin; zeni is the old word for coin money
小 (ko) means small and 銭 (zeni) means coins or money. The same 銭 is the sen, the old unit worth one hundredth of a yen. Small coins are your pocket change.
小 — three small strokes around a central vertical
小 is a pictograph originally showing three tiny dots or specks, suggesting small particles or grains. Over time the dots became stylized strokes flanking a central line. The core meaning 'small' has stayed remarkably stable from oracle bone script to today.