老い
おい · oi · JLPT N3 · na-adj
old age
🦯 Sounds like oy, the groan of creaky old knees
老い (oi) is the noun form of the verb 老いる (oiru), to grow old. The kanji 老 also appears in 老人 (rōjin), elderly person. Hook: oy is the sigh that comes with old age.
老 — old man 耂 + 匕 (bent figure)
Originally a pictograph of an elderly person with long hair leaning on a cane. The top 耂 depicts the hair and stooped body, while 匕 at the bottom represents the cane or a bent figure. The core meaning 'old' has remained stable since oracle bone script.