自分
じぶん · jibun · JLPT N5 · noun
oneself
自分 = self + portion: your own share of the world, i.e. yourself
自 means self (as in 自動, automatic = self-moving) and 分 means part or share. Together: the part that is you. Sound hook: jibun starts like the ji in 自動 and 自由, so ji = self every time.
自 — pictograph of a nose
自 originally depicted a human nose, shown frontally with the bridge and nostrils. Ancient Chinese pointed to their own nose to mean 'me,' so 自 shifted to mean 'self' or 'oneself.' A new character 鼻 was later created to carry the original 'nose' meaning.
分 — knife 刀 + eight 八 (split apart)
分 originally depicted a knife (刀) cutting something into two parts, shown by 八 above (which itself meant 'divide'). The core sense is 'to divide' or 'split', from which extended meanings like 'portion', 'minute', and 'part' developed. Pronounced fèn, it carries the sense of an allotted share.