new
新 centers on the idea of newness: something fresh, recent, or not yet used. It applies to objects, states, and beginnings.
new; neo-
new; novel; fresh; recent; latest; up-to-date; modern
renewal; update; replacement; renovation; breaking (a record)
newspaper
new; fresh; novel
latest; newest; late-breaking (news)
new work; new production; new composition; new creation; new title
new; fresh
Niigata (city, prefecture)
newcomer; new figure; new member; recruit; rookie; new talent; new star
Shinkansen; bullet train
brand-new article; new item
fresh
new type; new style; new model; new strain (e.g. infectious disease)
reformation; revolution; renewal
newly arrived; newly received
new (musical) composition; new piece; new song
reform; innovation
new book; new publication
new building; new construction
rising; developing; emergent; burgeoning; new
establishing; founding; setting up; organizing; establishment
novel; original; new; innovative
New Year
新 combines 亲 (originally a tool for cutting wood) and 斤 (axe), suggesting cutting fresh wood, which extended to the idea of newness. The modern form preserves this structure.
An axe 斤 beside a freshly cut tree 亲: the wood is new, still raw and unused. That fresh-cut feeling is the core of 新.
For シン, imagine a shiny new axe: the gleam of the blade says 'shin' as it catches the light. Shin -> シン, and the axe is brand new.