避難

ひなん · hinan · JLPT N1 · noun

safety

⛺ 避難 = 避 (avoid) + 難 (disaster): avoiding the disaster means taking refuge

避 means avoid or dodge, and 難 means hardship or disaster. Together they describe getting out of harm's way during a disaster, such as heading to an evacuation shelter.

避 — 辟 (phonetic) + 辶 (walk radical)
避 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The walking radical 辶 gives the meaning 'go, move,' while 辟 (bì/pì) supplies the sound. Together they convey moving away from something — hence 'avoid, evade, shun.'

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