進化
しんか · shinka · JLPT N1 · noun
development
🐒🧑 進 (shin) = advance + 化 (ka) = change: evolution is change that moves forward
進 means advance and 化 means change or transform. Together, 進化 names change that moves a thing forward, from simpler to more advanced, as in biological evolution or social progress.
化 — person 亻 + spoon/upside-down person 匕
化 is an associative compound showing a standing person 亻 next to 匕, originally a depiction of a person turned upside-down. Together they suggest a figure transforming from one state to another, giving the core meaning 'change' or 'transform'. The character later extended to senses like 'convert', 'influence', and the noun suffix '-ization'.