行き
いき · iki · JLPT N3 · noun
departure
🚶 行 began as a crossroads sign; iki is the noun form of iku, to go
行き is the stem of 行く (iku, to go), used as a noun. It marks destinations on trains and buses: 東京行き means bound for Tokyo. The kanji 行 was originally drawn as a crossroads, where journeys begin.
行 — crossroads pictograph (left 彳 + right 亍)
行 originally pictured a four-way crossroads in oracle bone script, with two paths meeting. From 'road' it extended to 'walk, go, travel,' and then to 'a row, line' or 'business firm' (read háng). The two halves 彳 and 亍 are the split sides of that ancient crossroads.
ゆき · yuki · JLPT N3 · noun
departure
🚶🚃 Sounds like you-key: grab your key, you're going
行 started as a crossroads sign, a place where you head off somewhere. On train signs, 東京行き (Tōkyō-yuki) means bound for Tokyo. It has the same sound as 雪 (yuki, snow) but is a different word.
行 — crossroads pictograph (left 彳 + right 亍)
行 originally pictured a four-way crossroads in oracle bone script, with two paths meeting. From 'road' it extended to 'walk, go, travel,' and then to 'a row, line' or 'business firm' (read háng). The two halves 彳 and 亍 are the split sides of that ancient crossroads.