光景
こうけい · koukei · JLPT N3 · noun
scene
🌅 光景 = light + view: whatever the light falls on in a view is the scene
光 (kou) means light and 景 (kei) means view or scenery, as in 景色 (keshiki, landscape). Light falling on a view gives a scene or spectacle. It often describes a striking or memorable sight, e.g. 信じられない光景 (an unbelievable sight).
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).
景 — sun 日 on top + capital 京 below (phonetic)
景 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 日 (sun) gives the meaning and 京 (jīng, capital) supplies the sound. It originally meant 'sunlight' or 'bright', then extended to 'shadow cast by sunlight', and later broadened to 'scenery' or 'view'.