化ける
ばける · bakeru · JLPT N1 · verb-ichidan
to take the form of
🦎 化 = change, transform. 化ける = change your form to pass as something else, like a chameleon
化 (ka) means change or transform. Add the verb ending ける and you get changing your form to pass as something else. A chameleon does exactly this, so the chameleon emoji is the hook.
化 — person 亻 + spoon/upside-down person 匕
化 is an associative compound showing a standing person 亻 next to 匕, originally a depiction of a person turned upside-down. Together they suggest a figure transforming from one state to another, giving the core meaning 'change' or 'transform'. The character later extended to senses like 'convert', 'influence', and the noun suffix '-ization'.