演技
えんぎ · engi · JLPT N3 · noun
acting
🎭 演技 = perform (演) + skill (技): the skill of performing
演 (en) means to perform or act, as in 演劇 (engeki, a play). 技 (gi) means skill or technique, as in 技術 (gijutsu). Watch out for the homophone 縁起 (engi), which means omen or luck.
演 — water 氵 + 寅 (yín, phonetic)
演 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the water radical 氵 gives the meaning, originally referring to water flowing far and spreading out, while 寅 supplies the sound. From 'water extending' it broadened to 'develop, elaborate, perform,' as in unfolding a story or acting out a play.