代名詞
だいめいし · daimeishi · JLPT N2 · noun
pronoun
代名詞 = 代 (substitute) + 名 (noun) + 詞 (word): a word that stands in for a noun
代 means substitute, 名 means noun, and 詞 means word. Together they name a word that replaces a noun, such as he, she, it, or they.
代 — person radical 亻 + 弋 (stake/dart, phonetic)
代 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 亻 (person) gives the meaning and 弋 supplies the sound. The original sense was one person taking the place of another, which broadened to 'substitute,' 'replace,' and then 'generation' or 'era' — successive groups of people replacing the previous.
名 — evening 夕 + mouth 口
A compound ideograph: in the dark of evening (夕), one cannot recognize others by sight, so the mouth (口) calls out a name to identify oneself. The original sense of 'name' broadened to include reputation, fame, and a measure word for people.