面
めん · men · JLPT N3 · noun
face
🎭 Etymology: 目 (eye) inside a head's outline = face, then surface
The oldest form was an eye inside the outline of a head, so 面 first meant face. From there it came to mean any outward side: 表面 surface, 方面 side or direction. お面 is a mask. Sound hook: men show their face.
面 — enclosure 囗 + 自 (nose/face inside)
Originally a pictograph showing a face framed by an outline, with 自 (nose) inside representing the central feature of the face. The early meaning was 'face,' which extended to 'surface,' 'side,' and 'aspect.' In simplified Chinese, 面 also absorbed 麵, adding the meaning 'flour/noodles.'