生きる
いきる · ikiru · JLPT N4 · verb-ichidan
to live
🌱 生 = life/birth + きる; ikiru sounds like eek-he-rules: alive and kicking
生 is the kanji for life and birth, also in 先生 (sensei) and 人生 (jinsei, human life). The reading い carries the meaning; きる is the verb ending. Kurosawa's film Ikiru is titled with this very word: To Live.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.