高速

こうそく · kousoku · JLPT N3 · na-adj

high speed

🚄 高速 = high + speed: 高 tall/high, 速 fast, as in 速度 speed

Same characters as Chinese gāosù. 高速道路 (kousoku douro) is the Japanese word for an expressway. Sound hook: kou-soku, high gear, so the car COASTS QUICKly.

高 — pictograph of a tall building/tower
高 is a pictograph of a tall structure, likely a watchtower or multi-story gate, with a roof on top, an upper chamber, and a base below. From this concrete image of height it extended to the general meanings 'tall,' 'high,' and figuratively 'lofty' or 'noble.'

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