ape man; pithecanthropus
Anthropological term for extinct hominids such as Pithecanthropus, often used in contexts of human evolution.
Java Man is a typical kind of ape man.
猿人 refers to earlier, more ape-like hominids (australopithecines), while 原人 denotes later species such as Homo erectus.
Compound of 猿 (さる, 'ape') and 人 (じん, 'human'), literally 'ape person'. The reading えんじん uses the on'yomi of both characters.