露骨
ろこつ · rokotsu · JLPT N1 · na-adj
outspoken
🦴 露 = exposed, 骨 = bone: stripped down to the bone, so nothing is hidden or softened
Etymology: meat cleared away until the bone shows, so the meaning moves from bare to blunt, explicit, or conspicuous. Ro-ko-tsu, bone laid bare.
露 — rain 雨 (top) + road 路 (bottom, phonetic)
露 combines 雨 'rain' as the meaning component with 路 'road' as the phonetic. It originally referred to dew — the moisture that settles overnight on outdoor paths. From there it extended to 'expose' or 'reveal,' since dew lies open on surfaces.