御免
ごめん · gomen · JLPT N2 · expression
pardon
御 (honorable) + 免 (excuse) = a polite excuse: sorry, pardon, or declining
御免 pairs 御, an honorable prefix, with 免, to excuse or exempt. The same 免 appears in 免除, exemption from a duty. Saying gomen politely asks to be excused.
免 — pictograph of a person 人 with a hat or helmet
免 originally depicted a person wearing a hat or helmet, suggesting removal or taking off. The meaning shifted to 'avoid, exempt, escape from' — as in escaping a duty or being spared. It is graphically related to 兔 (rabbit), but the two characters have distinct origins.