用意
ようい · youi · JLPT N4 · noun
preparation
🎒 用意 = use (用) + intention (意): putting your intent to use
用 means use and 意 means mind or intention. Preparation is literally applying your mind ahead of time. Sound hook: youi starts like yo, as in Yo, it's ready. Runners hear it at the start line: ようい、どん = Ready, go.
用 — pictograph of a bucket or wooden pail
用 originally depicted a bucket or container, possibly a sacrificial vessel made of wood. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'to use' or 'employ,' losing its concrete object sense. The modern meaning 'use' has been standard since early classical Chinese.