The word 卡住 is formed by combining the character 卡, which pictographically resembles something wedged or stuck (evoking an object caught between two points), with the character 住, which denotes a state of stopping, fixing, or coming to a halt. Together, they create a compound verb where the first component provides the core image of an obstruction or pinch, and the second component reinforces and completes the idea by indicating the resulting state of being immobilized or jammed. The formation is a direct conceptual fusion, visually and semantically merging the action of getting caught with the consequent state of being stuck.