大人しい
おとなしい · otonashii · JLPT N3 · i-adj
quiet
🐑 大人 (otona) = adult + しい: acting grown-up, so quiet and well-behaved
The kanji 大人 spell otona, adult. Add the adjective ending しい and you get adult-like, which in Japanese means calm, gentle and obedient. Parents often say otonashiku shite! to a noisy child, meaning act like a grown-up and settle 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.