直す
なおす · naosu · JLPT N4 · verb-godan
to fix
🔧 直 = straight: to naosu something is to make it straight again
The kanji 直 means straight or direct, so 直す is literally to straighten out: fix a broken thing or correct a mistake. Sound hook: now-su, as in fix it now. Its intransitive partner is 直る (naoru), to get fixed.
直 — 十 ten + 目 eye + 乚 hidden line
Originally depicted an eye (目) looking straight along a vertical line, suggesting a direct, unswerving gaze. The form combines 目 'eye' with strokes indicating straightness. From this came the meanings 'straight,' 'upright,' and by extension 'honest' or 'direct.'