大人
おとな · otona · JLPT N5 · noun
adult
🧑 大人 = big + person: a grown-up is literally a big person
The kanji are 大 (big) and 人 (person), but the reading おとな is a special whole-word reading, not だいじん. Sound hook: otona starts like oto (音, sound) — adults are the ones who tell kids to keep the sound down.
大 — pictograph of a person with arms outstretched
大 is a pictograph showing a person standing with arms and legs spread wide. The outstretched arms suggest 'big' or 'great', extending from the literal image of a large stance to abstract meanings like important or grand. It is one of the oldest characters, found on oracle bones.
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.