人生
じんせい · jinsei · JLPT N3 · noun
gram
人生 = person + life: the life a person lives, birth to death
人 (jin) means person and 生 (sei) means life or birth, the same 生 as in 先生 (sensei) and 学生 (gakusei). Sound hook: jinsei rhymes with sensei, and a sensei teaches lessons about jinsei.
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.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.