人
hito
That person, alone, four of us, popular — one character
The picture A living person stands on two legs, able to turn and face you. 人 is a person who moves and speaks; 物 is a thing that lies there in silence.
Where the picture shows up in 人
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the person you point at
あの人が店長です。
ano hito ga tenchō desu
That person is the manager.
A finger points quietly toward one person standing at the back of the shop
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only one person
一人で住んでいます。
hitori de sunde imasu
I live on my own.
One person sits at a table set with a single bowl and one pair of chopsticks
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people counted as heads
四人で予約しました。
yo-nin de yoyaku shimashita
I booked for four.
Staff pull four chairs up to one table and seat four people around it
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the side people lean toward
ここは人気のある店です。
koko wa ninki no aru mise desu
This is a popular shop.
A long line forms in front of one shop while the doorway next to it stays empty
人気 is 'the air of people': popularity drawn as the crowd leaning one way.
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which country a person is from
日本人の友だちができました。
nihonjin no tomodachi ga dekimashita
I made a Japanese friend.
A finger lands on one country on the map and a single figure is stood next to it
All of it in one picture
人 is one person standing on two legs. Point at them and you get あの人, that person; leave them on their own and you get 一人, alone; count heads at a restaurant and you get 四人, four people. Let many such people lean toward one shop and you get 人気, popularity; say which country one came from and you get 日本人, a Japanese person. The character always points at a standing person; only the way of pointing changes.