自動
じどう · jidou · JLPT N3 · na-adj
automatic
🤖 自動 = self (自) + move (動): it moves by itself
自 means self, as in 自分 (oneself). 動 means move, as in 動く (to move). Something that moves by itself is automatic. Same pattern in 自動車 (self-moving vehicle = car) and 自動ドア (automatic door).
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.