越える
こえる · koeru · JLPT N3 · verb-ichidan
to cross over
🏔️ 越 has 走 (run) on its left: you run over and beyond, koeru
The 走 radical means run, and the right part 戉 (an old axe) gives the sound. 越える is used for crossing mountains, borders or a limit. Its twin 超える is for going past an amount, like a number or a record.
越 — 走 (run) + 戉 (axe, phonetic)
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 走 ('to run, go') gives the meaning of crossing or passing over, while 戉 (an ancient axe) supplies the sound. From 'to stride across' it extended to 'exceed, surpass,' and was later borrowed as the name of the ancient Yue state and people in southern China.