Exchange, Mix

Interesting Fact

Look closely at the ancient forms of 交 and you can see something surprisingly human: it was originally a pictograph of a person with their legs crossed. Over time, that image developed into the ideas of crossing, meeting, and eventually interacting or exchanging. That basic “crossing paths” idea still survives in Japanese words such as 交通 (kōtsū), transportation, and 交差点 (kōsaten), intersection. So every time you see 交, imagine two paths crossing—and people meeting where they cross.