比較的
ひかくてき · hikakuteki · JLPT N2 · adverb
comparatively
⚖️ 比較 = compare (比 + 較) + 的 (like -ly): comparatively, relatively
比 and 較 both mean compare, so 比較 is a comparison. The suffix 的 works like English -ly, so 比較的 means in a comparative way, not in absolute terms.
比 — two 匕 (person) side by side
比 is a pictograph showing two people standing side by side, facing the same direction. From this image of paired figures came the core meaning 'to compare' or 'to be next to,' since comparing things naturally involves placing them alongside each other.
的 — white 白 + ladle 勺
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 白 ('white') gave the meaning of bright or clear, and 勺 supplied the sound. It once meant 'bright' or 'target' (still seen in 目的, 'aim'). In modern Chinese it was borrowed as a grammatical particle marking possession or modification.