兵士

へいし · heishi · JLPT N1 · noun

soldier

🪖 兵 (soldier) + 士 (scholar/warrior): 兵士 = a soldier, sounds like 'hey, shee' ... 'hey, she's a soldier'

兵 means troops or weapons, and 士 means a man of service or warrior class. Together 兵士 is an ordinary enlisted soldier. Sound hook: 'hey-shee' (heishi) for 'hey, she's a soldier'.

兵 — axe 斤 + two hands 廾
Originally a pictograph of two hands gripping an axe or weapon, depicting a soldier wielding arms. The ancient form clearly showed 斤 (axe) held by 廾 (two hands). The meaning naturally extended from 'weapon' to 'soldier,' 'troops,' and 'military.'

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