受持ち
うけもち · ukemochi · JLPT N1 · noun
charge
🔑 受け = receive, 持ち = hold: you receive it and hold it, so it is your charge
受持ち = 受け (receive) + 持ち (hold). Whatever you receive and keep hold of becomes your charge. Used for duties such as a class or a case you are responsible for.
受 — hand 爫 (top) + 冖 + hand 又 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph showing two hands passing an object (the middle 冖 represented a boat or tray) between them. It depicted the act of giving and receiving, so the character meant both 'to give' and 'to receive.' Later 授 was created with the hand radical 扌 to mean 'give,' leaving 受 to mean 'receive' or 'accept.'
持 — hand 扌 + temple 寺 (phonetic)
持 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 carries the meaning 'to hold' or 'grasp', while 寺 supplies the sound (it once read close to chí). Originally depicting a hand holding something firmly, it broadened to mean 'maintain', 'support', or 'keep' over time.