当てる
あてる · ateru · JLPT N3 · verb-ichidan
to hit
🎯 当 = hit the mark (as in 本当, true): 当てる = make something hit
当 means on target, as in 本当 (truly). 当たる means to be hit or to land; 当てる is the transitive form: you make it land, by throwing at a target, pressing a hand to your forehead, or guessing right.
当 — small ⺌ + crown 冖 + hand 彐 (simplified from 當: 尚 + 田)
Originally written 當, combining 田 'field' with 尚 as a phonetic. The early sense was 'to match' or 'face' a field of equal value, extended to 'correspond to', 'ought to', and 'serve as'. The simplified form 当 streamlines the upper 尚 component.