On the Breakdown of 機密

機密 (kimitsu: secrecy; highly classified information)     occasion + secret

The kanji 機 has a plethora of meanings, as the following breakdowns show:

machine

機械, kikai: machine
     machine + device, instrument

aircraft

機首, kishu: nose of airplane     aircraft + neck

opportunity, occasion

機会, kikai: opportunity
     opportunity + opportunity

危機, kiki: crisis     danger + opportunity

function (e.g., of the mind)

機能, kinō: function, faculty
     function + function

loom (with the kun-yomi of hata)

機屋, hataya: weaver     loom + shopkeeper

When it comes to 機密 (kimitsu: secrecy; highly classified information), I’m not exactly sure which meaning 機 has (as Halpern doesn’t say), but I’ve taken a stab at it and chosen “occasion.” If you feel that I’m wrong, I hope it’ll be our secret!

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