印象
いんしょう · inshou · JLPT N3 · noun
impression
印象 = seal + shape: the mark something leaves on you
印 means seal or stamp, as in 印鑑 (inkan, a personal seal). 象 means shape or appearance (it also means elephant). An impression is the shape something stamps on you. Same compound as Chinese 印象 yìnxiàng.
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.