女人
nǔrén · HSK 1
woman
👩 女 (woman) + 人 (person) = woman, a female person
女人 combines 女 (nǚ, woman) with 人 (rén, person/people). The compound literally reads as woman-person, the everyday word for an adult female. Note the tone: nǚrén, third tone then second tone.
女 — pictograph of a kneeling woman
女 is a pictograph originating in oracle bone script, depicting a person kneeling with arms crossed in front, a posture associated with women in ancient China. Over time the form was simplified and squared off into the modern character. Its core meaning of 'woman' or 'female' has remained stable for over three thousand years.
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.