最低
さいてい · saitei · JLPT N3 · na-adj
worst
📉 最低 = most + low: the lowest point, the bottom of the scale
最 (sai) means most, as in 最高 saikō, the best. 低 (tei) means low, as in 低い hikui. Most-low gives lowest or least, and in speech it also means awful: 最低！ means that's the worst!
最 — top 冃 (hat/cover) + bottom 取 (take)
Originally a compound suggesting taking something even at risk, with 冃 (a covering, often confused with 日 sun) over 取 (to seize). Over time it shifted from 'to risk taking' to the superlative meaning 'most' or 'extremely', its modern use in Chinese.
低 — person radical 亻 + 氐 (base)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 亻 (person) gives the meaning, while 氐 supplies the sound and originally depicted something reaching the ground or base. Together they suggest a person bowing low, which extended to the general sense of 'low' in height, position, or degree.