生物
せいぶつ · seibutsu · JLPT N3 · noun
living thing
🌱🐛 生物 = life + thing: a thing that lives
生 (sei) means life or birth, as in 生命 seimei, life. 物 (butsu) means thing or object, as in 動物 doubutsu, animal (moving thing). Put together, a living thing is any organism.
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.