去年

Why does 去年 look like this?

The word is a compound: '去' (qù) + '年' (nián). '去' means 'to go' or 'past,' and '年' means 'year.' Together, they literally mean 'the year that has gone.' 去 consists of 土 (earth) and 厶 (private), though its ancient form depicts a person leaving a house. 年 originally depicted a person carrying harvested grain, signifying the passing of a harvest cycle.