Origin

This character combines the speech radical 言, which marks it as relating to words and communication, with a sound component at the top that hints at its pronunciation. The bottom part 言 establishes that 誉 is about language and speaking, which makes sense since reputation and praise are built through what people say about you. The upper component provides a phonetic clue to help with pronunciation rather than adding to the meaning. Together, the character literally pictures the idea of words and speech that build someone's reputation or honor.