近付ける
ちかづける · chikadukeru · JLPT N2 · verb-ichidan
to bring near
🧲 近い (chikai, near) + 付ける (tsukeru, to attach) = bring near; put close
Chikai means near and tsukeru means to attach or affix. Together they mean to attach something so it ends up near. The compound takes rendaku, so tsuke becomes duke: chika-duke-ru.
近 — 辶 (walk) + 斤 (axe, phonetic)
近 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 radical signals movement or distance, while 斤 (axe) supplies the sound. Together they convey the idea of a short distance to walk, hence 'near' or 'close'.
付 — person radical 亻 + hand 寸
付 originally pictured a hand (寸) reaching out to hand something to a person (亻), depicting the act of giving or delivering. The core sense 'to hand over, deliver, pay' has remained stable since ancient bronze inscriptions. It also serves as a phonetic component in characters like 附, 符, and 府.