光
ひかり · hikari · JLPT N4 · noun
light
💡 hikari = noun form of hikaru, to shine; shining → light
光 (hikari) is the noun stem of the verb 光る (hikaru), to shine. Learn one and you get the other: hikaru is the action, hikari is the thing it gives off. Japan's Hikari bullet train carries the same word as its name.
光 — fire 火 (top) + person 儿 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph of a person with fire above their head, depicting a torchbearer or the radiance from a flame. The character evolved to mean 'light' or 'brightness' in general, and by extension 'glory' and 'to shine.' The modern top component is a stylized form of 火 (fire).