Origin

This character combines heart (月, the left component, which often represents the heart or chest area in kanji) with the character for intention or mind (意, on the right). Together they create the idea of the heart's emotional response—specifically the fearful or timid feelings that arise in your mind and body. The left-side heart component identifies this as something related to inner emotional experience, while the right component adds the sense of mental or emotional thought, resulting in a character that means timidity or cowardice. It describes the feeling of fear that originates from both body and mind.