残高
ざんだか · zandaka · JLPT N1 · noun
balance
💰 残 = left over + 高 = amount: the sum still left over in your account
残 (zan) means remainder or what is left over. 高 (daka) here marks an amount, as in 金高. Together they name the money still left after deposits and spending.
残 — 歹 (bones/death) + 戔 (small/cut, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 歹 (bare bones, death) gives the meaning of harm or ruin, while 戔 (two 戈 spears, suggesting cutting) supplies the sound. Originally meant to injure or destroy, later extended to 'remnant, leftover' — what remains after damage.
高 — pictograph of a tall building/tower
高 is a pictograph of a tall structure, likely a watchtower or multi-story gate, with a roof on top, an upper chamber, and a base below. From this concrete image of height it extended to the general meanings 'tall,' 'high,' and figuratively 'lofty' or 'noble.'