特急

とっきゅう · tokkyuu · JLPT N4 · noun

express

🚄 特急 = special (特) + hurry (急): the special-hurry train

Short for 特別急行 (tokubetsu kyuukou), special express. 急行 is the plain express; adding 特 makes it the faster tier with fewer stops. The small っ doubles the k: to-k-kyuu, clipped and quick like the train itself.

特 — cow 牛 + temple 寺 (phonetic)
Originally referred to a male bull or large ox, with 牛 'cow' as the meaning component and 寺 supplying the sound. Over time it shifted from 'bull' to 'special, particular, unique,' the sense used today.

急 — heart radical 心 + 及 (reach)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the heart radical 心 supplies the meaning (an emotional state) while 及 ('to reach, catch up') gives the sound. Originally it depicted a racing, anxious heart — hence the modern senses 'urgent,' 'hurried,' and 'impatient.'

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