財布
さいふ · saifu · JLPT N5 · noun
wallet
👛 財布 = wealth (財) + cloth (布): a cloth pouch for your money
財 means wealth or money, as in 財産 (property). 布 means cloth, read ふ here. Early purses were cloth pouches, so a wallet is literally money-cloth. Sound hook: saifu is close to safe — where your cash stays safe.
布 — hand 手 (as 𠂇) + cloth 巾
Originally a pictograph of woven cloth held in a hand, combining a hand element (𠂇) with 巾 'cloth/towel'. The core meaning 'cloth' was extended to 'spread out, display' (as cloth is unfurled), giving modern senses like 'announce' and 'arrange'.