奴 (nú)

Etymology

Depicts a hand (又) behind a woman (女) slave's back forcing her to work.

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》：“奴，奴、婢，皆古之辠人也。《周禮》曰：‘其奴，男子入于辠隸，女子入于舂藁。’从女，从又。，古文奴，从人。”

Components

• 女 (sound, iconic) — Depicts a woman slave. Also serves as a phonetic component.
• 又 (iconic) — Depicts a hand forcing a slave to do work.