講堂
こうどう · koudou · JLPT N4 · noun
auditorium
🏛️ 講堂 = lecture (講) + hall (堂): a lecture hall
講 means to lecture or explain, as in 講義 (kougi, lecture). 堂 is a large hall, as in 食堂 (shokudou, dining hall). Sound hook: kou-dou rhymes with go-though, and 堂 keeps its dou reading in other hall words.
堂 — earth 土 + phonetic 尚
A semantic-phonetic compound: 土 ('earth/ground') gives the meaning, while 尚 supplies the sound. It originally referred to a raised earthen platform or the main hall of a building built on such a foundation. From there it broadened to mean 'hall', 'main room', and by extension formal gatherings or halls of learning.