TSUMUGU · TOCFL 1 (est.) · 字
游
游 ＝ 氵 ＋ 㫃
ㄧㄡˊ · yóu
verb — to swim; to roam, travel
字源 FORM — what the parts do
氵義water
㫃形a flag on its pole, the streamer trailing方 plus a hanging tail — the banner part of 旗、旅、族
A flag's streamer (㫃) trails loose in the wind; set it in water (氵) and it becomes a body moving freely through the current — to swim. The old graph carries two tellings: the long pennant flowing from a flagpole, and a swimmer flowing through water — both are something streaming along. From moving freely came roam and travel (游玩、游歷).
故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by
旗帶（㫃）落進水（氵）裡，順流飄開——游。
The flag's streamer (㫃) falls into the water (氵) and flows off downstream — swimming.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)游泳— to swim常用
→游玩、游歷— to roam, travel about常用
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension