障害
しょうがい · shougai · JLPT N3 · noun
obstacle
🚧 障害 = block (障) + harm (害): a thing that blocks and harms
障 means to block or screen off, as in 障子 (shoji, the paper screen). 害 means harm or damage, as in 被害 (damage suffered). Together: a harmful blockage, so an obstacle or impediment. Sound hook: show-guy, the show guy blocking the door.
害 — 宀 roof + 丯 (phonetic) + 口 mouth
Originally an ideograph showing harm spoken under a roof, with 宀 (roof/house) on top, a phonetic element 丯 in the middle, and 口 (mouth) below suggesting harmful speech. Over time it shifted from 'injury caused by words' to the broader senses of 'harm,' 'injure,' and 'fear.'