座標
ざひょう · zahyou · JLPT N1 · noun
coordinate
📍 座 (position) + 標 (marker) = markers that fix a point's position
座 means seat or position, and 標 means mark or landmark. Together they name the numbers that mark where a point sits on a map or grid.
座 — 广 (shelter) + 坐 (to sit)
Originally written as 坐, meaning 'to sit' (two people 人人 sitting on the ground 土). The shelter radical 广 was added to specify the place where one sits — a seat, throne, or platform. 坐 remained the verb 'to sit,' while 座 became the noun 'seat.'