高校生
こうこうせい · koukousei · JLPT N4 · noun
student
🎒🏫 高校生 = high + school + student (高校 high school + 生 student)
高 means high, 校 means school, and 生 is the student suffix seen in 学生 and 大学生. The reading kou-kou-sei repeats kou twice: 高 (kou) and 校 (kou) are different kanji that happen to share a sound.
高 — pictograph of a tall building/tower
高 is a pictograph of a tall structure, likely a watchtower or multi-story gate, with a roof on top, an upper chamber, and a base below. From this concrete image of height it extended to the general meanings 'tall,' 'high,' and figuratively 'lofty' or 'noble.'
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.