泉
いずみ · izumi · JLPT N3 · noun
spring
💧⛲ izumi = izu (come out) + mi (water): water that comes out
Old Japanese 出づ水 (izu-mi) means emerging water. The kanji agrees: 白 white on top of 水 water, so clear water rising from the ground.
泉 — white 白 above water 水
泉 is a pictograph showing a spring: water (水) flowing out from an opening in a rock, with 白 on top representing the mouth of the spring. The original oracle bone form depicted water streaming from a hollow. Its core meaning, 'spring' or 'fountain,' has remained stable since ancient times.