彼女
かのじょ · kanojo · JLPT N4 · noun
girlfriend
👩 彼女 = that (彼) + woman (女): that woman, so she, then girlfriend
彼 means that one over there, 女 means woman. Together: that woman, i.e. she. The word later narrowed to also mean girlfriend. Its partner is 彼氏 (kareshi), boyfriend, built on the same 彼.
女 — pictograph of a kneeling woman
女 is a pictograph originating in oracle bone script, depicting a person kneeling with arms crossed in front, a posture associated with women in ancient China. Over time the form was simplified and squared off into the modern character. Its core meaning of 'woman' or 'female' has remained stable for over three thousand years.