近頃
ちかごろ · chikagoro · JLPT N3 · adverb
lately
📅 近 (near, as in chikai) + 頃 (around a time) = the times close to now
Chika comes from 近い chikai, near. Goro is the same 頃 as in 三時頃 sanji-goro, around three o'clock. Put together it means the stretch of time near the present: lately, these days.
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'.