片付ける
かたづける · katadukeru · JLPT N4 · verb-ichidan
to tidy up
🧹📦 片付ける = 片 (one side) + 付ける (attach): stick things off to one side
片 means one side or a piece; 付ける means to attach or put. Tidying is literally putting each stray thing over to its side. The つ of 付ける voices to づ in the compound, giving kata-dukeru. Transitive: you tidy something (部屋を片付ける).
片 — right half of 木 (tree split vertically)
Pictograph showing the right half of a tree 木 split down the middle, depicting a thin slice or slab of wood. From this came the meanings 'slice,' 'flat thin piece,' and by extension 'sheet' or 'card.' Its mirror image 爿 represents the left half.
付 — person radical 亻 + hand 寸
付 originally pictured a hand (寸) reaching out to hand something to a person (亻), depicting the act of giving or delivering. The core sense 'to hand over, deliver, pay' has remained stable since ancient bronze inscriptions. It also serves as a phonetic component in characters like 附, 符, and 府.