金融
きんゆう · kinyuu · JLPT N3 · noun
finance
💰🏦 金融 = gold/money (金) + melt, flow (融): money in circulation
金 (kin) means gold or money. 融 (yuu) means to melt or dissolve, and by extension to flow or circulate. Money that moves around between lenders and borrowers is finance. Kin is also the reading in 金曜日 (kin'youbi), Friday.
金 — roof 亼 + two dots (metal nuggets) + earth 土
Originally a pictograph of metal nuggets buried in the earth beneath a covering, with the two dots representing pieces of ore. It first meant 'metal' broadly, then narrowed to 'gold' as the most precious metal, and by extension 'money'.
融 — 鬲 (tripod cauldron) + 虫 (insect/worm)
Originally depicted steam rising from a 鬲 (ritual cooking cauldron), with 虫 likely a phonetic component. The image of vapor blending into the air gave rise to meanings of 'melt,' 'blend,' and 'harmonize.' Modern senses extend to financial 'circulation' as in 金融.