安心
あんしん · anshin · JLPT N4 · noun
peace
🏠🍵 安心 = calm (安) + heart (心): a heart at rest
安 means calm or safe, and 心 means heart or mind. Put together, a calm heart is peace of mind. Sound hook: anshin starts like the 'an' in 'answer' — once you have the answer, the worry stops and relief arrives.
安 — roof 宀 + woman 女
A pictographic compound showing a woman 女 under a roof 宀, suggesting safety and tranquility at home. The original meaning 'peaceful, calm, safe' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It later extended to verbs like 'to settle' or 'to install'.
心 — pictograph of a heart with chambers and aorta
心 is a pictograph showing a stylized heart, with strokes representing the organ's chambers and the aorta at the top. Originally meaning the physical heart, it broadened to cover mind, feelings, and intentions, since ancient Chinese thought located thinking and emotion in the heart.