人形
にんぎょう · ningyou · JLPT N4 · noun
doll
🎎 人形 = person + shape: a thing shaped like a person
人 (nin, person) + 形 (gyou, shape/form). A doll is literally a person-shape. The same 形 appears in 形 (katachi, form), and 人 reads nin as in 人間 (ningen, human).
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.
形 — open frame 开 + hair/pattern 彡
形 combines 开 (originally a phonetic element suggesting the sound) with 彡, a radical depicting fine lines, hair, or decorative strokes. The 彡 part conveys the idea of visible markings or surface appearance, giving 形 its core meaning of 'shape' or 'form.' Over time it broadened to cover physical figure, appearance, and abstract form.