科学
かがく · kagaku · JLPT N4 · noun
science
🔬🧪 科学 = 科 (branch, department) + 学 (study): study sorted into branches
A Meiji-era coinage: knowledge divided into separate disciplines, each a 科. The 学 is the same gaku as in 学生 (gakusei, student) and 大学 (daigaku, university). Sound hook: ka + gaku, the study (gaku) of each ka.
科 — grain 禾 + measure 斗
科 combines 禾 (grain) and 斗 (a dipper/measure), originally depicting the act of measuring or grading grain. From this, it extended to mean classification, category, and branch of study. Today it commonly appears in words for science (科学) and academic disciplines.
学 — hands 𦥑 + roof 冖 + child 子
Originally 學, depicting two hands manipulating something (often interpreted as counting rods or the 爻 trigram symbols) under a roof, with a child 子 below — a child learning under instruction. The simplified form 学 replaces the top with a stylized 龸. Core meaning has always been 'to study, learn'.