集会
しゅうかい · shuukai · JLPT N2 · noun
meeting
🪑 集 gather + 会 meeting = 集会, a gathering of people: a meeting or assembly
集 (しゅう) means to gather or collect, and 会 (かい) means meeting or society. Combined, they name a planned gathering where people come together, such as a public meeting or assembly.
集 — bird 隹 on top of tree 木
集 is an ideograph showing a bird (隹) perched on a tree (木). The original form depicted three birds gathering on a tree, later simplified to one. From 'birds flocking together' it extended to mean 'gather, collect, assemble,' and by extension 'collection' or 'volume' of writings.
会 — 人 person on top + 云 cloud/say below (simplified from 會)
The traditional form 會 showed a lid over a vessel with contents stacked inside, depicting things coming together — hence 'meet, gather, assemble.' From 'gathering' it extended to 'meeting,' then 'understand' (minds meeting) and 'be able to.' The simplified 会 keeps only a schematic top and bottom.