所
ところ · tokoro · JLPT N5 · noun
topographic point
📍 tokoro: TOKens mark the spot, each place gets a TOKen on the map
所 pairs 戸 (door) with 斤 (axe): originally the sound of chopping at a doorway, later borrowed to mean a spot or location. Sound hook: tokoro starts like token, the marker you set down to claim a place.
所 — door 戶 (left) + axe 斤 (right)
Originally a sound: an axe (斤) chopping wood near a door (戶), with 戶 also hinting at the pronunciation. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'place' or 'location,' and later became a grammatical particle nominalizing verbs ('that which…'). The concrete 'chopping' sense faded entirely.