迷う
まよう · mayou · JLPT N3 · verb-godan
to lose one's way
🧭 mayou ≈ May you find your way? Said to someone who is lost
The kanji 迷 = 米 (rice) + ⻌ (walking/road): paths scattered in every direction like grains of rice, so you wander and lose your way. The same 迷 appears in 迷子 (maigo, lost child).
迷 — 辶 (walk) + 米 (rice/mǐ, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 component (walking/road) gives the meaning of going astray on a path, while 米 (mǐ) supplies the sound. Originally referring to losing one's way while traveling, it later extended to mean confused, lost, or fascinated/captivated by something.