挨拶
あいさつする · aisatsusuru · JLPT N4 · noun
greet(ing)
👋 挨拶 = push close + press in: nudging up to someone to say hello
Both kanji mean to press or crowd in. The word comes from Zen: 一挨一拶, a master and monk pushing at each other with questions to test understanding. That back-and-forth exchange softened into everyday greeting. Sound hook: aisatsu = eye-sats, eyes meet, hello.
挨 — hand radical 扌 + 矣 (phonetic)
挨 is a phonetic-semantic compound: the hand radical 扌 signals a meaning related to physical contact, while 矣 supplies the sound. It originally meant to push or strike with the hand, then broadened to 'lean against' and 'be next to' (āi), and later extended to 'suffer' or 'endure' a blow (ái).