扇子
せんす · sensu · JLPT N2 · noun
fan
🪭 せんす sounds like sense: a folding fan sends air your way for a sense of cool
扇 means fan and 子 is a common noun ending for small objects. The sound of せんす also matches English sense, since a fan gives you a sense of cool air.
扇 — door 戶 + feather 羽
扇 combines 戶 (door) above 羽 (feathers), originally depicting a door-leaf made of woven feathers or a feathered fan that swings like a door. The image extended to flat hand-fans, then by association to anything that fans, fluffs, or stirs up — including the verb 'to fan' and a measure word for doors and windows.
子 — pictograph of a baby/child with arms out
子 began as a pictograph of a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms, originally meaning 'baby' or 'child.' From there it broadened to 'son,' 'offspring,' and a respectful suffix for masters like 孔子 (Confucius). It also became one of the twelve earthly branches.