知人
ちじん · chijin · JLPT N2 · noun
acquaintance
🤝 知 (know) + 人 (person) = a person you know: friend or acquaintance
知 is the kanji of 知る (shiru, to know). 知人 literally means a person you know, which is why it covers both close friends and mere acquaintances.
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.