TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 · 字
字
字 ＝ 宀 ＋ 子
ㄗˋ · zì
noun — a character; a written word
字源 FORM — what the parts do
宀義a roof
Tzǐ → zì — tone only
A child (子) under a roof (宀) — to bear and raise; 子 gives the sound too. The simple, unbreakable graphs were 文; the compounds bred from them were 字 — and the bred ones took over the name for every written character.
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
屋（宀）裡添了個孩子（子）——家裡多一個人，紙上多一個字。
A child (子) added under the roof (宀) — one more in the family, one more character on the page.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)生養（古）— to bear and raise — the child under the roof
→文字、字— the written character常用
⇒名字— the name — characters given to a person
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension