随筆
ずいひつ · zuihitsu · JLPT N2 · noun
essay
📝 随 = as you please + 筆 = pen: essays are writing that follows the pen
随 means following freely and 筆 means brush or pen. A zuihitsu is loose, free-form prose on whatever the writer's pen happens to wander to.
随 — 辶 (walk) + 阝 (mound) + 有 phonetic
随 combines the walk radical 辶 with a phonetic component derived from 隋. The original sense is 'to follow along a path,' from the walking radical suggesting movement after someone. Over time it broadened to mean 'follow,' 'accompany,' or 'comply with.'