悪化
あっか · akka · JLPT N1 · noun
deterioration
悪 (aku, bad) + 化 (ka, change into) = becoming bad; sounds like 'ak-ka', a sharp 'ah-KAH' drop
化 — person 亻 + spoon/upside-down person 匕
化 is an associative compound showing a standing person 亻 next to 匕, originally a depiction of a person turned upside-down. Together they suggest a figure transforming from one state to another, giving the core meaning 'change' or 'transform'. The character later extended to senses like 'convert', 'influence', and the noun suffix '-ization'.