安い
yasui
When the tag goes down, even a person gets 'cheap'
The picture The number on a price tag sitting low. 安い has the number on the tag sliding down; 高い has it climbing up.
Where the picture shows up in 安い
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price sliding down
こちらのほうが安いです。
kochira no hō ga yasui desu
This one is cheaper.
Two items side by side, one tag's number written lower than the other
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buy more, slide further
三つ買うと安くなりますよ。
mittsu kau to yasuku narimasu yo
Buy three and it gets cheaper.
One more item set on the counter and the displayed total dropping a notch
安くなる = the price comes down.
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pressing the number down
飛行機代を安く抑えました。
hikōki-dai o yasuku osaemashita
I got the airfare cheap.
A finger pressing the fare on the screen down into a lower row
安く plus a verb means doing it cheaply.
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pay sliding down
この仕事は給料が安いです。
kono shigoto wa kyūryō ga yasui desu
This job pays badly.
An envelope holding two notes that sits weightless on your palm
For low pay, Japanese says 給料が安い, not 少ない.
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a person's tag pulled down
そんなに安く見ないでください。
sonna ni yasuku minaide kudasai
Please don't look down on me like that.
Someone slapping a clearance sticker on your work and moving it to the bottom shelf
安く見る = to underrate, to look down on.
All of it in one picture
安い is one picture: the number on the tag has slid down. Put two items side by side and the one with the lower number is the cheap one; add a third to the pile and the total drops a notch; press the airfare down the screen and you got it 安く. Wages with a low number mean poorly paid work, and sticking a low tag on a person is exactly what 安く見る does.