話し合い
はなしあい · hanashiai · JLPT N2 · noun
discussion
💬 話し合い = 話す (talk) + 合う (together): talking together, i.e. a discussion
The noun comes from the verb 話し合う (hanashiau), made of 話す (to speak) and 合う (to meet or come together). Talking back and forth with each other is a discussion, meeting, or conference.
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.