余暇
よか · yoka · JLPT N1 · noun
leisure
🛋️ 余 = surplus + 暇 = spare time: leisure is the time left over
余 means surplus or what remains, and 暇 means free time or spare time. Together they give time left over after work and duties.
余 — roof 亼 + wooden post/pillar
Originally a pictograph of a simple thatched shelter or hut supported by a central post, 余 meant 'lodging' or 'temporary dwelling.' It was later borrowed phonetically to write the first-person pronoun 'I/me,' which became its dominant meaning. The 'surplus/remainder' sense developed through its use as a loan for 餘.