泥棒
どろぼう · dorobou · JLPT N4 · noun
thief
🦹 泥棒 = mud + stick: a mud-smeared face and a stick in hand
The kanji are 泥 (doro, mud) + 棒 (bou, stick). A folk etymology says thieves smeared mud on their faces as a disguise and carried a stick. Sound hook: dorobou starts like door — the door-robber.
泥 — water radical 氵 + 尼 (phonetic)
泥 is a phono-semantic compound. The water radical 氵 indicates a connection to water or wetness, while 尼 (ní) supplies the pronunciation. Together they denote 'mud'—earth mixed with water—and by extension soft, sticky substances like plaster or paste.
棒 — wood radical 木 + 奉 (offer/hold)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 木 gives the meaning (a wooden stick or club), while 奉 supplies the sound (bàng/fèng). Originally referring to a wooden staff or cudgel, the meaning later extended colloquially to 'excellent' or 'great,' as in something strong and impressive.