確率
かくりつ · kakuritsu · JLPT N2 · noun
probability
🎲 確 (sure) + 率 (rate): how often something is sure to happen, a rate of chance
確 means certain or firm, and 率 means rate or ratio. Together they describe the rate at which an outcome is certain, which is probability.
率 — twisted silk threads with droplets, plus 十
率 originally pictured a net or twisted bundle of silk cords with water droplets shaking off, suggesting something being led or pulled along. From 'leading a rope' it extended to 'lead, command' (shuài) and to 'rate, ratio' (lǜ), as in a fixed proportion. The two readings share this core image of a guiding measure.