定まる
さだまる · sadamaru · JLPT N1 · verb-godan
to become settled
📌 定 (fixed, set) + まる (become) = to become fixed
定 means fixed or set, as in 決定 (decision). まる is a verb ending that marks a change of state, like 決まる (to be decided). Together they mean to become settled.
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.'