押し寄せる
おしよせる · oshiyoseru · JLPT N1 · noun
aside
🌊 押す (push) + 寄せる (draw near) = push and draw close, like waves surging in
押し寄せる combines 押す (push) and 寄せる (move close). It describes waves, crowds, or troops pressing forward toward a place or person.
押 — hand radical 扌 + 甲 (jiǎ, phonetic)
押 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 supplies the meaning of pressing or holding down with the hand, while 甲 gives the sound. From the literal sense of pressing, it extended to signing/sealing documents, mortgaging, and detaining — all involving an authoritative 'pressing' action.
寄 — roof 宀 + strange 奇 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the roof radical 宀 suggests a dwelling or shelter, while 奇 (qí) supplies the sound, shifted to jì. The original sense was to lodge or stay temporarily under someone's roof, which extended to entrusting, depositing, and eventually sending or mailing things to another's care.