Origin

The character combines the picture of an eye (自) on top to represent the face, with the component 畀 below that serves as a sound hint for pronunciation. The eye was used to indicate "face" because the nose is the most prominent feature in the middle of the face. Over time, the character evolved to specifically mean "nose" while keeping this facial reference on top. The bottom component doesn't contribute a meaning—it's there to guide how the character should be pronounced.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).