合意
ごうい · goui · JLPT N1 · noun
mutual understanding
📜 合 (join) + 意 (intention/mind) = minds joined into one meaning
Pronounced goui. 合 means join or fit together, and 意 means intention or mind. When two intentions join, both sides agree and understand each other.
合 — 乛 (lid/roof) + 口 (mouth)
Originally a pictograph of a lidded vessel — a cover (亼) closing over an opening (口) — giving the core sense of 'come together, join, fit.' From 'fit/match' it extended to 'combine, unite, agree' and to measure-word uses. The reading hé reflects this 'joining' meaning.