entries → 獄
TSUMUGU · TOCFL B1 (est.) · 字
獄 character · TOCFL B1 (est.)
獄 ＝ 犬 ＋ 言 ＋ 犬
ㄩˋ · yù
noun — prison, jail; a lawsuit, court case

字源 FORM — what the parts do

犬義a guard dog, one on each side
言義speech — the accusations traded in court
犬義the second guard dog — two of them keep the watch
Two dogs (犬...犬) set to guard, with speech (言) penned between them — the wrangle of a lawsuit, and the place it can land you. From the court case grew the prison: 監獄, 入獄, the 地獄 of the underworld.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

兩條狗（犬）一左一右守著，中間吵成一團（言）——獄。
Two dogs (犬) keep watch left and right while the words (言) clash between them — the courtroom, the cell.
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)訟、官司— a lawsuit, court case
→監獄、牢獄— prison, jail常用
⇒地獄— the underworld, hell
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
嶽yuèthe lookalike — 嶽 sets a mountain 山 atop where 獄 keeps two dogs and speech訟sòngthe near-meaning — 訟 is the lawsuit alone, 獄 adds the guarding dogs