真似
まね · mane · JLPT N3 · noun
apery
🦜 真似 = true + resemble: to truly resemble someone is to imitate them
真 means true or real, and 似 means to resemble. Put together, 真似 (mane) is making yourself resemble someone for real, which means copying or mimicking them. A common phrase is 真似をする, to imitate.
真 — 匕 (spoon) over 目 (eye) over 八 (eight/base)
真 originally depicted a person or vessel used in ritual, conveying the idea of something genuine or true. Over time the form was reanalyzed as components like 匕, 目, and a base, but the core meaning of 'real, true, genuine' has remained stable since early bronze inscriptions.