乂
ガイ, カイ, ゲ, おさ.める, か.る

mow, cut grass, subdue

JLPT0 G13 S0 F5000

A depiction of vegetation cut in swaths → *cut grass*; *mow* → *manage*; *control*; *govern*. For the connection between cutting and control, compare 轄.

[Full Kanji Etymology List]