#arrears

1251/2000

JLPT: N1

School Grade: Junior high school

This character is a combination of 氵 water and 帶/帯 belt. 帯 is a phonetic element signaling the on’yomi, but is also lending its own connotation of “contain/restrict,” and here carries a meaning of “stop.” With 氵 this gives “a flow of water stopped and unmoving.” It has come to mean “stop/stagnate” in a general sense.