The word 自由 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a core idea to create an abstract concept. The first character, 自, originally depicted a nose and came to mean "self" or "from". The second, 由, conveys notions of "origin", "cause", or "to follow from". When joined, the compound literally suggests "following from oneself", which conceptually evolved to express the state of acting according to one's own will and nature, hence meaning "freedom" or "liberty".