相手
あいて · aite · JLPT N3 · noun
spouse
🤝 相手 = mutual + hand: the person on the other side of the exchange
相 means mutual or each other, and 手 means hand, which also stands for a person, as in 歌手 (singer). So 相手 is the other hand in any exchange: your conversation partner, opponent, or the person you're dealing with. Sound hook: aite sounds like I tell, as in the one I tell things to.
手 — pictograph of a hand with five fingers
手 is a pictograph showing an open hand with fingers and a wrist. Early bronze and oracle bone forms clearly depict five splayed fingers, which simplified over time into the modern shape. It keeps its original meaning of 'hand' and also serves as a radical in many characters related to hand actions.