压岁钱 (yāsuìqián) · New Year money (gift to children)

压 yā · to press

What 压 is made of

• 厂chǎng — "cliff" in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 27)
• 土tǔ — earth
  • 十 — ten
    • 一 — horizontal stroke
    • 丨 — vertical stroke
  • 一 — horizontal stroke
• 丶 — dot

Origin hint: Soil 土 crushed under pressure 厂 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

岁 suì · years of age

What 岁 is made of

• 山shān — mountain
  • 凵qiǎn — container
  • 丨 — vertical stroke
• 夕xī — evening
  • 勹bāo — wrap shape
    • 丿 — falling stroke
  • 丶 — dot

钱 qián · money

What 钱 is made of

• 钅jīn — metal
• 戋jiān — small
  • 戈gē — spear
  • 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: 钅 gives the meaning, 戋 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)