段々
だんだん · dandan · JLPT N5 · noun
gradually
🪜 段 = step; 段々 = step-step: step by step, so gradually
段 (dan) means a step or stair, and 々 just repeats the kanji before it. Step after step is how gradual change happens. The doubled sound dan-dan echoes that one-step-then-another rhythm.
段 — left component 𠂉 + right component 殳 (weapon/strike)
段 originally depicted striking or hammering a piece of stone or metal with a tool, shown by the 殳 'strike' element on the right. From this 'hammering/forging' sense it extended to mean a section or segment cut off, and today it commonly means a paragraph, stage, or piece.