改良
かいりょう · kairyou · JLPT N1 · noun
improvement
🔧 改 = change + 良 = good: change to make something good, an improvement or reform
Both parts recur: 改 appears in 改札 (ticket gate) and 改正 (revision of a law), and 良 appears in 良い (good). Learn the two parts and the word follows.
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'.
良 — pictograph of a covered grain hopper
良 originated as a pictograph of a funnel-shaped device used to clean or sift grain, with a top opening, central body, and bottom outlet. From this image of selecting good grain, the meaning extended to 'fine,' 'good,' or 'excellent.' The modern shape obscures the original object.