真心
まごころ · magokoro · JLPT N1 · noun
earnestness
Ma-go-ko-ro: 'true' (真 ma) + 'heart' (心 kokoro); a true heart means sincere devotion.
真 means true or genuine and 心 means heart or mind. Together they name a heart that is honest all the way through, which is why the word covers both sincerity and devotion.
真 — 匕 (spoon) over 目 (eye) over 八 (eight/base)
真 originally depicted a person or vessel used in ritual, conveying the idea of something genuine or true. Over time the form was reanalyzed as components like 匕, 目, and a base, but the core meaning of 'real, true, genuine' has remained stable since early bronze inscriptions.
心 — pictograph of a heart with chambers and aorta
心 is a pictograph showing a stylized heart, with strokes representing the organ's chambers and the aorta at the top. Originally meaning the physical heart, it broadened to cover mind, feelings, and intentions, since ancient Chinese thought located thinking and emotion in the heart.