念
ねん · nen · JLPT N1 · noun
desire
今 (now) + 心 (heart) = a heart fixed on the present moment: feeling, desire
The heart stays with what is happening now, so 念 covers a feeling, a sense of something, or a wish. Words like 残念 (regret) and 念願 (long-held wish) build on this same core.
念 — 今 (now, phonetic) + 心 (heart)
念 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 心 (heart) gives the meaning, while 今 (now) supplies the sound. The original sense was 'what is on the heart right now' — a thought held in mind. From this came the modern meanings 'to think of,' 'to miss,' and 'to recite' (holding words in mind).