虎
とら · tora · JLPT N3 · noun
tiger
🐅 tora sounds like tore-a: a tiger tore a hole in the fence
Tora! Tora! Tora! was the famous 1941 Japanese attack code word, and it literally means tiger, tiger, tiger. The top part 虍 is the tiger radical, which also appears in 虐 (cruelty) and 虚 (empty).
虎 — 虍 (tiger stripes) + 几 (legs)
虎 is a pictograph of a tiger, originally drawn with a striped body, gaping mouth, and crouching legs. Over time the top simplified into the 虍 radical (tiger markings) while the bottom became 几, representing the hind legs. It still means 'tiger' and appears in many compounds about ferocity or courage.