出生
しゅっしょう · shusshou · JLPT N1 · noun
birth
👶 出 = come out + 生 = life: birth is coming out into life
出 means to go out or emerge, and 生 means life or to be born. Together they describe something emerging into life, which is exactly what birth is.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
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.
しゅっせい · shussei · JLPT N1 · noun
birth
👶 出 (come out) + 生 (life, to be born) = coming out into life: birth
出 means to come out and 生 means life or to be born. Together, 出生 literally means coming out into life, which is what a baby does at birth. The 'ss' in shussei is a short, clipped sound.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
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.