release, give out, put

放 is composed of 方 (square, place) and 攵 (beat). 方 depicts a criminal bound in wooden shackles, while 攵 represents a hand holding a stick or baton. Thus, 放 illustrates the scene of a criminal being driven away or banished. Its original meaning is to banish, which later extended to mean to let go, to place, and to emit or release.