余興
よきょう · yokyou · JLPT N1 · noun
show
🎪 余 (extra, surplus) + 興 (interest, fun): extra fun laid on for the crowd, like a side show
余 means surplus or leftover; 興 means amusement or enjoyment. Together they name the extra entertainment that runs alongside the main event.
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.