観点

かんてん · kanten · JLPT N1 · noun

point of view

👀 観 = look at + 点 = point: the point you look at things from

観 means observe or look closely, and 点 means point or spot. Together they name the spot from which you observe, which is how English 'point of view' works.

点 — fire radical 灬 + 占 (zhān, phonetic)
Originally written 點, a semantic-phonetic compound: 黑 (black) gave the meaning 'small black mark or dot' while 占 supplied the sound. It first referred to ink spots, then extended to 'point, drop, a little,' and verbs like 'to mark' or 'to light (a fire),' reflected in the simplified form's 灬 (fire) component.

More Japanese words · How Japanese works