強化
きょうか · kyouka · JLPT N2 · noun
strengthen
🏋️ 強 = strong + 化 = change into: 強化 = change into something stronger
強 means strong and 化 means change or transform. Together they mean making something stronger, as in reinforcing a wall or intensifying training. Both halves are also common in words like 強い (tsuyoi, strong) and 変化 (henka, change).
化 — person 亻 + spoon/upside-down person 匕
化 is an associative compound showing a standing person 亻 next to 匕, originally a depiction of a person turned upside-down. Together they suggest a figure transforming from one state to another, giving the core meaning 'change' or 'transform'. The character later extended to senses like 'convert', 'influence', and the noun suffix '-ization'.