手続き
てつづき · tetsuduki · JLPT N2 · noun
procedure
📋 手続き = 手 (hand) + 続き (continuation): a series of steps handed along, one after another
Breaks down as 手 (hand, act) and 続き (continuation, sequence). A procedure is a chain of actions carried out in order, one continuing the next.
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.