sticky, glutinous, greasy, persevere
粘 centers on the quality of clinging or sticking: physically sticky or glutinous, greasy, and by extension persevering stubbornly like something that won't let go.
粘 combines 米 (rice) with 占, which likely contributes the sound and suggests the idea of sticking or clinging, as cooked rice is sticky.
Rice 米 that sticks together 占: imagine a bowl of glutinous rice so sticky it clings to everything, and a person persevering like that stubborn stickiness.
For ネン, picture a sticky rice cake that is so glutinous it stretches into a long, thin 'noodle' when pulled: noodle -> ネン, and the stickiness makes it stretch.
cohesion; adhesion
clay
to be sticky; to be adhesive
mucous membrane; mucosa
stickiness; gumminess; sticky material; gummy material
stickiness; viscosity
tenacious; persevering; persistent; stubborn; steadfast
mucus; mucilage; viscous liquid; phlegm
viscous; sticky; gluey
stickiness; viscosity; glutinosity
papillary mucosa
coefficient of kinematic viscosity; dynamic coefficient of viscosity; kinematic viscosity
salt dough
thickener
polysaccharide thickener
thickening agent; thickening stabilizer
starchy solution formed during rice cooking
acute gastric mucosal lesions; AGML
anti-caking agent
fault gouge; fault clay