ジョ, ジ, のぞ.く, よ.け

exclude, division (x/3), remove, abolish, cancel, except

JLPT3 G6 S10 F594

As per # (disperse surplus earth) + 阜 piled earth (for emphasis/clarification) → disperse surplus earth → *remove* → *divide*; *exclude*; *cancel*; *abolish* → *except*. 除 was devised to replace after came to convey "surplus" rather than the idea of dispersal.

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