自殺
じさつ · jisatsu · JLPT N3 · noun
suicide
自殺 = self (自) + kill (殺)
自 (ji) means self, as in 自分 (jibun, oneself). 殺 (satsu) means kill, as in 殺人 (satsujin, murder). The compound reads literally as self-killing, the same construction as the Latin roots of the English word: sui (of oneself) + caedere (to kill).
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.