要望
ようぼう · youbou · JLPT N1 · noun
request
📢 要 (want) + 望 (look out for, hope) = a hoped-for thing you put out as a request; 'yō-bō' sounds like 'yo, bro, I want it'
要 means 'need/want' and 望 means 'hope/gaze toward', so 要望 is a want you voice toward someone else: a request or demand. The reading yōbō echoes 'yo, bro', a bold call to someone.
要 — west 覀 (top) + woman 女 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph of a woman with hands on her waist, meaning 'waist' (the original form of 腰). The top 覀 is a stylized depiction of the waist area, not the character for 'west'. Over time it was borrowed for the meaning 'to want, important', so 腰 (with 月 flesh radical) was created for the original 'waist' sense.
望 — 亡 (phonetic) + 月 moon + 王 king/standing figure
Originally a pictograph of a person standing on tiptoe gazing at the moon, expressing the idea of looking far into the distance. Over time the figure was reshaped and 亡 was added as a phonetic element. The meaning extended from 'gaze afar' to 'hope for' or 'expect.'