人
ひと · hito · JLPT N5 · suffix
person
🧍 Etymology: 人 is a side view of a person standing on two legs
The two strokes are the oldest form of a walking human seen from the side: one stroke for the body, one for the leg. Sound hook: hito is close to he-to, as in he too is a person. In compounds it reads jin or nin.
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.