話中
はなしちゅう · hanashichuu · JLPT N2 · noun
talk
📞 話 = talk, 中 = during: during a talk, so the phone line is busy
The first character 話 means talk and the second 中 means middle or during. A phone line that is in use is 'during a talk', which is why it reads busy.
中 — vertical stroke 丨 through enclosure 口
Pictograph of a banner or pole piercing the center of a target or territory, depicting the idea of 'middle' or 'center'. The horizontal frame represents boundaries, and the vertical line marks the central axis. The meaning extended from spatial center to 'middle, central, China' (中国, the Middle Kingdom).