溜める
ためる · tameru · JLPT N3 · verb-ichidan
to accumulate
💧🪣 溜 = water 氵 + stay 留: water that stays put keeps piling up
The kanji joins the water radical 氵 with 留 (tome, to stay or keep). Water that stays in one place collects, so ためる means to let things build up: money, rainwater, stress, even unfinished tasks.
溜 — water 氵 + 留 (liú, stay)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the water radical 氵 gives the meaning (smooth, slippery, flowing) while 留 supplies the sound. Originally describing water flowing swiftly and smoothly, it extended to mean 'slip,' 'glide,' or 'sneak away,' as well as 'slippery' surfaces.