军 jūn army

army; military

How it came to be

形声 · Meaning + sound

One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.

Originally: camp

The bronze form shows a chariot under a curved line; the chariot gives the meaning and the curved line the sound.

Bound noun meaning "military/army"; combines to make 军人 jūnrén "serviceman", 军队 jūnduì "armed forces", 军官 jūnguān "officer".
Unexpectedly, it's also the root of competition-ranking words: 冠军 guànjūn "champion (1st)", 亚军 yàjūn "runner-up (2nd)", 季军 jìjūn "3rd place", these have nothing literally to do with the military anymore and should just be memorized as a set.
军事 jūnshì "military affairs" works as a noun modifier, e.g. 军事基地 jūnshì jīdì "military base".