逮捕
たいほ · taiho · JLPT N3 · noun
apprehension
🚓⛓️ 逮捕 = seize + catch; taiho sounds like tie 'em, hold 'em
Both kanji mean catch: 逮 means to seize or reach, and 捕 is the catch in 捕獲 (capture). Say tai-ho as tie 'em, hold 'em, which is what an arrest does. It's the word in news reports, as in 容疑者を逮捕 (suspect arrested).
逮 — 辶 (walk) + 隶 (catch/reach)
Originally a semantic compound: 隶 depicted a hand grasping an animal's tail, meaning 'to catch up with,' and 辶 (walking) was added to emphasize pursuit. The core sense 'to reach' or 'to capture' developed from this. Later it gained the reading dǎi for colloquial 'catch' and dài for formal 'arrest.'
捕 — hand radical 扌 + 甫 (phonetic)
捕 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 (手) signals an action done with the hand, while 甫 supplies the sound (related to bǔ/fǔ). Together they convey 'to seize' or 'to catch' with the hand, as in capturing a person or animal.