秒
びょう · byou · JLPT N3 · noun
second
⏱️ 秒 = 禾 grain + 少 little: the tiny tip of a grain, so a tiny slice of time
秒 first meant the thin bristle at the tip of a grain ear (禾), something very small (少). It came to name tiny units, and now the second: 60 秒 make one 分 (minute).
秒 — grain 禾 + few 少
A semantic-phonetic compound: 禾 (grain) gives the meaning and 少 (few/small) hints at the sound and the idea of something tiny. Originally referred to the fine awn or beard tip of a grain stalk, then extended to mean 'a tiny amount.' In modern Chinese it is borrowed to mean 'second' (the time unit).