自治
じち · jichi · JLPT N2 · noun
self-government
🗳️ 自 = self + 治 = govern, so 自治 = self + govern = self-government
自 means self, and 治 means to govern, rule, or manage. Together they describe a group that runs its own affairs instead of being run from outside.
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.
治 — water radical 氵 + 台 (phonetic)
治 originally referred to the name of a river, written with the water radical 氵 for meaning and 台 as the phonetic component. From 'managing rivers' (flood control), the meaning broadened to 'govern, regulate, manage,' and later 'cure, heal' — all senses of bringing something unruly under control.