模型
もけい · mokei · JLPT N1 · noun
model
🧸 模 (mó, copy) + 型 (xíng, shape) = a shape to copy; a model
Ideally a 模型 is a mould you press things into: the shape you copy. Mokei is the Japanese reading, and the same two characters carry the sense of a model, dummy or marquette.
型 — earth 土 + 刑 (xíng, phonetic)
型 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 土 (earth) component points to its original meaning: a clay or earthen mold used for casting. The right side 刑 supplies the sound. From 'casting mold' it broadened to mean 'model, type, pattern' in modern usage.