治める
おさめる · osameru · JLPT N3 · verb-ichidan
to govern
👑🌊 治 = water radical 氵: to govern was first to tame the rivers
In ancient China, ruling meant controlling floods. The legendary Emperor Yu won the throne by taming the Yellow River, so 治 has the water radical. The same kanji gives 治る (naoru, to heal): both mean putting things back in order.
治 — water radical 氵 + 台 (phonetic)
治 originally referred to the name of a river, written with the water radical 氵 for meaning and 台 as the phonetic component. From 'managing rivers' (flood control), the meaning broadened to 'govern, regulate, manage,' and later 'cure, heal' — all senses of bringing something unruly under control.