違反
いはん · ihan · JLPT N3 · noun
misdemeanor
🚨 違反 = go against (違) + oppose (反): acting against the rules
違 means to differ from or go against, as in 違う (chigau, to be different). 反 means to oppose, as in 反対 (hantai, opposition). Put together, an act that goes against and opposes the law is a violation.
反 — hand 又 under cliff 厂
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) turning something over against a cliff or slope (厂), depicting the action of flipping or reversing. From this came the core meaning 'to turn over,' which extended to 'opposite,' 'contrary,' and 'rebel against.' The character is purely semantic, with no phonetic component.