名付ける
なづける · nadukeru · JLPT N1 · verb-ichidan
to name
🏷️ 名 (na, name) + 付ける (tsukeru, attach): to attach a name to something
Decomposition: 名 is name and 付ける is to attach or stick on. Voicing of つける to づける (rendaku) gives なづける. Naming is attaching a name tag to a thing.
名 — evening 夕 + mouth 口
A compound ideograph: in the dark of evening (夕), one cannot recognize others by sight, so the mouth (口) calls out a name to identify oneself. The original sense of 'name' broadened to include reputation, fame, and a measure word for people.
付 — person radical 亻 + hand 寸
付 originally pictured a hand (寸) reaching out to hand something to a person (亻), depicting the act of giving or delivering. The core sense 'to hand over, deliver, pay' has remained stable since ancient bronze inscriptions. It also serves as a phonetic component in characters like 附, 符, and 府.