自己
じこ · jiko · JLPT N3 · noun
self
👃 自 began as a nose; in Japan you point at your nose to say me
己 also means self, so 自己 is self + self, which stresses oneself. You hear it in 自己紹介 (jiko shōkai), a self-introduction. Careful: 事故 is also read jiko, but it means accident.
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.