hurry, emergency, sudden, steep
急 centers on something happening quickly and urgently: hurrying, a sudden event, or an emergency. The steep sense extends this idea to a sharp, abrupt incline.
急 is thought to combine a contracted form related to grasping or pressing with 心 (heart), suggesting a heart pressed by urgency. The exact historical development of the top component is uncertain.
The top part looks like a hand pressing down on a heart 心, making it race. When your heart is pressed, you feel a sudden urge to hurry.
For キュウ, imagine a sudden emergency where you need to give a quick 'cue' (like a stage cue) to act fast: cue -> キュウ, and your heart races.
sudden; abrupt; unexpected
to hurry; to rush; to hasten; to make something happen sooner
urgency; emergency
first-aid; emergency (aid)
limited express (train for which a limited-express ticket is required)
rapid (e.g. progress)
sudden; abrupt; rapid; sharp; drastic; radical
haste; hurry; expedition; speed; dispatch
hurriedly; in a hurry; hastily; in haste
hurrying (to somewhere); rushing; hastening
rapid increase; sharp rise; proliferation; surge; explosion
immediate; prompt; quick; rapid; urgent; pressing
acute (illness)
emergency fix; tentative measure; temporary solution
urgent; pressing; immediate; prompt; express
TA-Q-BIN (express home delivery service provided by Yamato Transport)
sudden fall; sharp fall; sudden drop; sharp drop
vital part (of the body); tender spot; weak point; vitals
rapid progress; radical progress
sudden death
sudden turn; sudden change
urgent business; pressing need; imperative
high and low speed; fast and slow; pace; tempo
to hurry (up); to urge on; to press; to rush
sudden rise (in price); sharp rise; jump; surge
semi-express train; local express train; sub-express train
sudden death; unexpected death
great hurry; great haste; rush
urgent business
sudden illness
hasty; rash; rushed; hurried; impatient; impetuous; quick-tempered
emergency case
quick pace
emergency; crisis; imminent danger
sudden rise (esp. of stock prices); jump
hurriedly; in haste; in a rush; quickly
swiftly; rapidly; quickly; immediately; hastily; hurriedly
rapid growth
emergency medicine
first-aid kit
ambulance
declaration of a state of emergency
super express