話合い
はなしあい · hanashiai · JLPT N2 · noun
discussion
💬 話 (talk) + 合い (together, each other) = talking with each other, a discussion
合う means to meet or fit together, so 話合い is talk that goes both ways. Use it for a group discussion or a negotiation between two sides.
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.