協定
きょうてい · kyoutei · JLPT N1 · noun
agreement
🤝 協 = cooperate + 定 = settle: two sides cooperate to settle terms, making a pact
協 (kyō) means cooperate or harmonize, and 定 (tei) means decide or fix. When two parties cooperate to fix the terms, they have made a 協定 (kyōtei), an arrangement or pact.
定 — roof 宀 + 正 (correct/upright, phonetic)
Originally written with 宀 (roof) over 正 (upright/correct), suggesting a household settled and orderly under its roof. Over time 正 simplified to 㐬-like form at the bottom, and the meaning shifted from 'settled home' to the broader senses of 'fix, stable, decide.'