特色
とくしょく · tokushoku · JLPT N2 · noun
feature
🎨 特 = special + 色 = colour/look: the special look that sets a thing apart = feature
特 means special or particular, and 色 means colour or look. Together they give the distinctive look that marks something out. The 色 in 景色 (scenery) carries the same sense of look.
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.
色 — person 人 (top) + kneeling figure 卩 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph showing one person above another, traditionally interpreted as depicting facial expressions or intimate posture between two people. The earliest meaning was 'facial expression' or 'countenance,' which extended to 'appearance' and eventually 'color' (the look of things). The 'shǎi' reading is a colloquial variant used for everyday color words.