新興
しんこう · shinkou · JLPT N3 · na-adj
emergent
🌱 新興 = new + rise: something newly on the rise
新 (shin) means new, as in 新聞 newspaper. 興 (kou) means to rise or flourish, as in 復興 revival. Together they mean newly rising, as in 新興国 (shinkoukoku), an emerging nation.
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'.