文法
ぶんぽう · bunpou · JLPT N4 · noun
grammar
📖 文法 = writing (文) + law (法): the laws of writing
文 (bun) means writing or sentence, as in 文学 literature. 法 (hou, voiced to pou after n) means law or method, as in 方法 method. Grammar is literally the law that sentences must obey. Sound hook: bun-POH, the rules a sentence is bound by.
文 — pictograph of crossed lines on a chest
文 originally depicted a person with patterns or tattoos drawn on the chest, shown as crossed or interwoven lines. From this image of decorative markings, it came to mean 'pattern,' then 'writing,' 'script,' and 'literature' or 'culture.' The modern senses all trace back to the idea of meaningful marks.
法 — water 氵 + go 去
Originally written 灋, combining the water radical 氵 (suggesting a level standard, like water finding its level), the mythical beast 廌 (which judged guilt), and 去 (to remove or banish). The 廌 was later dropped, leaving 法. The core meaning evolved from 'law' or 'standard' to also include 'method' and 'way of doing'.