芝居
しばい · shibai · JLPT N3 · noun
play
🎭 芝居 = lawn (芝) + sit (居): early kabuki crowds sat on the grass
Etymology: at medieval shrine and temple performances, commoners sat on the lawn (芝) and stayed there (居). The word for those grass seats shifted to the audience, then to the theatre, and finally to the play itself.