通用
つうよう · tsuuyou · JLPT N2 · noun
use
📰 通 (through) + 用 (use) = use that goes through many hands, so popular and in circulation
通 means reaching everywhere, and 用 means use. Together they describe something used by everyone, like a common currency or a general-purpose tool.
通 — 辵 (辶) walk + 甬 yǒng (phonetic)
通 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 (chuò) component means 'walk' or 'movement', giving the meaning of going through or passing. 甬 (yǒng), originally depicting a hanging bell or a path, supplies the sound. Together they convey 'to pass through, communicate, connect'.
用 — pictograph of a bucket or wooden pail
用 originally depicted a bucket or container, possibly a sacrificial vessel made of wood. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'to use' or 'employ,' losing its concrete object sense. The modern meaning 'use' has been standard since early classical Chinese.