答
こたえ · kotae · JLPT N4 · noun
answer
💬 答 = bamboo (竹) + fit (合): a reply that fits the question
The top is bamboo, the old writing material; the bottom 合 means to fit or match. An answer is the written slip that matches the question. Kotae comes from the verb kotaeru, to respond — koto (word) + au (meet): words meeting words.
答 — bamboo radical 竹 + 合 (combine)
Originally written with the bamboo radical because answers were inscribed on bamboo slips. The phonetic 合 ('to join, match') gives both the sound and the sense of a reply 'matching' a question. Over time 答 came to mean 'answer' or 'respond' generally.