非行
ひこう · hikou · JLPT N3 · noun
delinquency
🚓 非 not/wrong + 行 conduct = wrong conduct, so delinquency
非 is the negating 'non-/wrong' prefix, as in 非常, and 行 means going or conduct, as in 行動. Together they mean conduct that has gone wrong. Watch out for the homophone 飛行 (hikou, flight): 飛 means fly, while 非 means not.
非 — two opposing wings 羽-like form
Originally a pictograph showing two wings spread in opposite directions, symbolizing things facing away from each other. From this 'opposition' image came the meaning 'not' or 'wrong.' It is also used as a phonetic component in many characters like 排, 悲, and 罪.
行 — crossroads pictograph (left 彳 + right 亍)
行 originally pictured a four-way crossroads in oracle bone script, with two paths meeting. From 'road' it extended to 'walk, go, travel,' and then to 'a row, line' or 'business firm' (read háng). The two halves 彳 and 亍 are the split sides of that ancient crossroads.