行方
ゆくえ · yukue · JLPT N2 · noun
whereabouts
🧭 行く (go) + 方 (direction): the direction someone went, so where they are now
Yukue combines 行 (yuku, to go) and 方 (e, direction or way). Tracking which way a person went tells you where they are, so the word means whereabouts.
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.
方 — pictograph of a plow or two boats joined side by side
方 originated as a pictograph, traditionally interpreted as a plow handle or two boats lashed together. From the idea of paired boats it extended to mean 'side by side,' then 'square,' 'direction,' and 'region.' It was later borrowed for the abstract sense of 'method' or 'way.'