真珠
しんじゅ · shinju · JLPT N1 · noun
pearl
🦪 真 (true, genuine) + 珠 (bead, pearl) = a true pearl
真 means true or genuine, and 珠 means bead or pearl. Together they name the real pearl that an oyster makes. Say shin-ju, and 'shin' sounds like 'sheen', the shine a pearl has.
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.