封
ふう · fuu · JLPT N1 · noun
sealing wax
📮 Sounds like 'fu' in 'fuu', and 封 is the seal you stamp on an envelope to close it.
封 means sealing something shut, like a letter or envelope. Think of the wax seal that closes a letter before it is posted.
封 — earth 土 doubled (圭) + inch 寸 (hand)
Originally a pictograph of a hand planting a sapling on a mound of earth, marking a boundary. From this came the meaning of granting fiefs to nobles, then sealing or closing off territory. The modern senses 'to seal' and 'envelope' both stem from this idea of enclosing.