布里斯托尔 (Bù lǐ sī tuō ěr) — Bristol (port city in southwest England)

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

布 pairs 巾, a kerchief, with 父 as a sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 裡; 里 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 里 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (里, 里面) it is 裡; in others (公里) it is 里 or 裏.

The form 裡 pairs 衤 (clothes) with 里 as a sound component.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

托 is built from 手 (hand) and 乇, which gives the sound tuō.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 爾; 尔 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 爾, simplified as 尔, originally drew cloth on a loom with crossing threads. It was borrowed for its sound to write “you,” so the picture is unrelated to that meaning.