至急
しきゅう · shikyuu · JLPT N3 · na-adj
urgent
🚨 至急 = utmost (至) + hurry (急): hurry to the utmost
至 means to reach the extreme, as in 至上 (supreme); 急 means hurry, as in 急ぐ (to hurry) and 急行 (express train). Together: maximum hurry. Sound hook: shikyuu is close to she-queue — she jumps the queue because it is urgent.
至 — arrow 矢 inverted + ground 一
至 is a pictograph showing an arrow (矢) landing point-down on the ground (一), depicting the moment it reaches its target. The original meaning was 'to arrive' or 'to reach,' which extended to 'utmost' or 'extreme' — the point beyond which one cannot go further.
急 — heart radical 心 + 及 (reach)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the heart radical 心 supplies the meaning (an emotional state) while 及 ('to reach, catch up') gives the sound. Originally it depicted a racing, anxious heart — hence the modern senses 'urgent,' 'hurried,' and 'impatient.'