新た
あらた · arata · JLPT N3 · na-adj
new
🌱 新 is the new in 新幹線 shinkansen, the new trunk line; alone it reads arata
Arata sounds a bit like a re-start, which is something new and fresh. It often appears as 新たな, as in 新たな一歩, a new step. The verb 改める (aratameru, to renew) shares the same arata- sound.
新 — 立 stand + 木 tree + 斤 axe
Originally depicted cutting fresh wood with an axe (斤) from a tree (木), with 辛/立 as the phonetic component. The original meaning of 'firewood' was later written as 薪, while 新 took on the extended sense of 'new' or 'fresh'.