福
ふく · fuku · JLPT N3 · noun
good fortune
🏺🍀 示 altar + 畐 full jar: a full offering at the altar brings good fortune
On the left, 礻 is the altar/spirit radical. On the right, 畐 is a full wine jar offered to the gods. Same fuku as 福袋 fukubukuro, the lucky bag Japanese shops sell at New Year.
福 — 示 (altar/spirit) + 畐 (full vessel)
福 originally depicted hands offering a full wine jar (畐) at an altar (示) to the spirits, asking for blessings. The 示 radical signals religious or ritual meaning, while 畐 suggests both the sound and the idea of fullness or abundance. Over time it came to mean 'good fortune' or 'blessing.'