点々
てんてん · tenten · JLPT N2 · adverb
here and there
🐾 点 (dot) + 々 (repeat mark) = dot, dot, dot: spots scattered here and there
々 is the repeat mark meaning the previous kanji repeats. So 点々 is 点 written again: dots repeated over space or time, which gives here and there, little by little.
点 — fire radical 灬 + 占 (zhān, phonetic)
Originally written 點, a semantic-phonetic compound: 黑 (black) gave the meaning 'small black mark or dot' while 占 supplied the sound. It first referred to ink spots, then extended to 'point, drop, a little,' and verbs like 'to mark' or 'to light (a fire),' reflected in the simplified form's 灬 (fire) component.