改正
かいせい · kaisei · JLPT N2 · noun
revision
🔧 改 (change, alter) + 正 (correct, right) = change to make correct: a revision or amendment
改 means change and 正 means correct or proper. Together they name the act of changing something to correct it, as in revising a text or amending a rule.
改 — 己 (self) + 攴/攵 (action/strike)
改 is a compound of 己 'self' and 攵 (the action radical, originally a hand holding a stick). The image is of striking or applying force to oneself or one's situation, suggesting reform or correction. From this came the modern meaning 'to change, alter, correct'.
正 — one 一 + stop 止
Originally an ideograph showing a foot (止) advancing toward a target line (一), meaning 'to march straight toward' a city or goal. From this came the senses 'upright,' 'correct,' and 'proper.' The military sense survives in 征 (to campaign), which took over the original 'march' meaning.