姓
せい · sei · JLPT N3 · noun
surname
👪 姓 = woman 女 + birth 生: your family name comes from who bore you
Ancient clans traced descent through the mother, so the character for surname pairs 女 (woman) with 生 (birth). 生 also gives the sound: it is read sei too, so 姓 sounds like its own birth half.
姓 — woman radical 女 + life 生
姓 combines 女 (woman) with 生 (birth/life), reflecting ancient China's matrilineal clans where surnames passed through the mother's line. Many of the oldest Chinese surnames contain 女, such as 姜 and 姚. Today 姓 simply means 'family name' or 'surname'.