等級
とうきゅう · toukyuu · JLPT N1 · noun
class
🏅 等 = rank + 級 = level, so 等級 = rank-level = grade
等 means rank or equal, and 級 means step or class. Together they name a graded position, like school grades or the levels of a ranking system.
等 — bamboo radical 竹 + temple 寺
Originally referred to bamboo slips of equal length used for record-keeping, with 竹 (bamboo) as the semantic component and 寺 suggesting the phonetic. From 'equal-length slips' the meaning extended to 'rank, class,' then 'equal,' and later to 'wait' (to be of equal status in line).