人造
じんぞう · jinzou · JLPT N2 · noun
man-made
🤖 人 (person) + 造 (make, build) = made by people, not by nature
人 means person and 造 means build or make, so 人造 literally says made by people. Use it for synthetic fibers (人造纤维) or artificial lakes (人造湖).
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.
造 — 辶 (walk) + 告 (tell/announce)
造 combines the walking radical 辶 with 告 (announce), which also gives the sound. Originally it meant 'to go and report to,' then 'to reach' or 'arrive at.' Over time the meaning shifted to 'to make' or 'to build,' the sense most common today.