The word 前台 is formed by combining two characters: 前, meaning "front", and 台, meaning "platform" or "desk". Together, they create a direct spatial image of the "front platform" or "front desk", which is the most visible and accessible area in an office or building. This concrete concept naturally extends to describe the function performed there, the reception, and by further association, the person who works at that desk, the receptionist. The formation is fundamentally pictorial and conceptual, building meaning from a literal physical location to the roles and interfaces associated with it.