試合
しあい · shiai · JLPT N4 · noun
match
🏆 試合 = try + meet: two sides meet to try their skill
試 means to test or try (as in 試験, exam) and 合 means to meet or fit together (as in 合う). A match is where opponents come together to test each other. Sound hook: shiai is like she-eye, as in she has an eye on the win.
合 — 乛 (lid/roof) + 口 (mouth)
Originally a pictograph of a lidded vessel — a cover (亼) closing over an opening (口) — giving the core sense of 'come together, join, fit.' From 'fit/match' it extended to 'combine, unite, agree' and to measure-word uses. The reading hé reflects this 'joining' meaning.