手拭い
てぬぐい · tenugui · JLPT N2 · noun
towel
手拭い = 手 (hand) + 拭い (wipe): a thin cloth for wiping hands and face
The 拭い part comes from the verb 拭う (nugu, to wipe), so the name literally means hand-wiping cloth. It is a thin, absorbent cotton towel used in Japan.
手 — pictograph of a hand with five fingers
手 is a pictograph showing an open hand with fingers and a wrist. Early bronze and oracle bone forms clearly depict five splayed fingers, which simplified over time into the modern shape. It keeps its original meaning of 'hand' and also serves as a radical in many characters related to hand actions.