血管
けっかん · kekkan · JLPT N3 · noun
blood vessel
🩸 血管 = blood + pipe: ketsu shortens to kek, then kan
血 (ketsu) means blood and shortens to kek- before a k sound. 管 (kan) means pipe or tube, as in 水道管 suidōkan, water pipe. So a blood pipe is a blood vessel.
血 — drop 丿 over dish 皿
Originally a pictograph of a sacrificial vessel (皿) with a drop of blood inside, marking the offering of blood in ancient rituals. The small stroke on top represents the blood itself. Over time it broadened from ritual blood to blood in general.
管 — bamboo radical 竹 + official 官 (phonetic)
Originally a pictograph of a bamboo tube or pipe, written with the bamboo radical 竹 on top. The lower component 官 supplies the sound. From 'bamboo pipe' it extended to 'tube,' then to 'manage' or 'control' — since pipes channel and regulate flow, the meaning shifted toward administration.