物事
ものごと · monogoto · JLPT N3 · noun
everything
📦 物事 = 物 mono, thing + 事 koto, matter: things and matters
Japanese has two words for thing: mono (物) for physical objects and koto (事) for events and abstract matters. 物事 puts both together, so it covers everything. The k of koto softens to g, which gives monogoto.
事 — hand 又 holding a banner/tablet on a pole
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) grasping a pole or ceremonial banner used by an official, depicting the act of conducting court business. From this it came to mean 'affair, matter, business, service.' It shares an ancient origin with 史 (scribe) and 吏 (official).