西
セイ, サイ, ス, にし, いり, ひし, むら

west, Spain

JLPT5 G2 S6 F259

A depiction of a nest in which chicks are neatly aligned. *West* is either a borrowed or an extended meaning; in the latter case the idea might be that of the reddish sun aligned with the horizon at sunset. (For "reddish," compare 茜.) By further extension is *the Pure Land*, Buddhism having entered China from lands west.

[Full Kanji Etymology List]