The word 玩偶 is formed by combining two characters: 玩, which means "to play" or "plaything", and 偶, which means "figure", "idol", or "image". The concept merges the idea of a plaything with the specific form of a human-like figure or likeness. Together, they visually and conceptually construct the notion of a "doll" or a "toy figure", an object made for play that is crafted in the image of a person or creature.