跳 (CHŌ, ha(neru), to(bu): to spring, jump, leap)
This is clearly an alternate way of writing to(bu), “to fly.” The main way is 飛. And of course we just saw 飛 in 飛躍 (hiyaku: to leap, jump, to leapfrog (over a problem), to leap + to leap).
What’s the 兆 shape inside 跳? Here’s the scoop:
兆 (CHŌ, kizashi: sign, omen, trillion)
In 跳, the 兆 component doesn’t necessarily contribute meaning. Rather, it acts phonetically to express “leap high.” So 跳 is “to leap using the legs.” Hmm, the same was true of 躍, as we saw.
