自動車
じどうしゃ · jidousha · JLPT N5 · noun
car
🚗 自動車 = self + move + vehicle: a cart that moves by itself
自 (ji) means self, 動 (dou) means move, 車 (sha) means vehicle. Together: a self-moving vehicle, the same logic as auto + mobile in English. 自動 alone means automatic, so 自動車 is literally an automatic cart.
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.