取り混ぜる
とりまぜる · torimazeru · JLPT N1 · noun
mix
🥗 取り (take, gather) + 混ぜる (mix, stir): gather several things and mix them together
取り here is a prefix meaning to gather or take up, and 混ぜる means to stir or blend. Combined, the word means gathering separate items and blending them into one mix.
取 — ear 耳 + hand 又
取 originally depicted a hand (又) grasping an ear (耳), referencing the ancient practice of soldiers cutting off enemies' left ears as proof of kills to claim rewards. The meaning broadened from 'seize/take by force' to the general sense of 'take, get, obtain' used today.
混 — water radical 氵 + 昆 (kūn, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 氵 (water) gives the meaning, while 昆 supplies the sound. The original sense was waters mingling or flowing together, which extended to 'mix, blend, confuse.' Modern uses like 混乱 (chaos) and 混合 (to mix) preserve this core idea of things merging.