化繊
かせん · kasen · JLPT N1 · noun
man-made fiber
🧵 化 (change/chemical) + 繊 (fiber) = chemically made fiber, short for 化学繊維
Short for 化学繊維, fibers made by chemical processes instead of coming from plants or animals. Read ka (change) plus sen (fiber).
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'.