印
しるし · shirushi · JLPT N3 · noun
mark
🔖 shirushi: from shirusu (to mark down) — a shirushi is what got marked
Shirushi is the noun form of the verb shirusu, to mark or note down. It shares a root with shiru, to know: a shirushi is the mark that lets you know something, which is why it also covers symbol and evidence.
印 — hand 爪 (claw) + kneeling person 卩
Originally a pictograph showing a hand pressing down on a kneeling figure, depicting the act of stamping or sealing. The meaning extended from 'to press a seal' to the seal itself, and then to 'print' or 'imprint' in modern usage.