生涯
しょうがい · shougai · JLPT N3 · noun
life
⏳ 生涯 = life + shore: your life all the way out to its far edge
涯 means a shore or outer limit, as in 天涯, the ends of the earth. So 生涯 is life stretched to its limit: your whole lifetime. You will see it in 生涯学習, lifelong learning.
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.