手際
てぎわ · tegiwa · JLPT N1 · noun
skill
🖐️ 手 (hand) + 際 (occasion) = a hand that handles the occasion smoothly
Tegiwa covers skill, deftness, and tact: a hand that handles a delicate moment well. 際 also means edge or boundary, which hints at tricky moments.
手 — pictograph of a hand with five fingers
手 is a pictograph showing an open hand with fingers and a wrist. Early bronze and oracle bone forms clearly depict five splayed fingers, which simplified over time into the modern shape. It keeps its original meaning of 'hand' and also serves as a radical in many characters related to hand actions.