The kanji 通 primarily conveys the idea of "to pass through," "to go through," "to communicate," or "to be connected." It implies a sense of movement, passage, or understanding. It can also suggest the concept of "common" or "general," as in something that is widely accessible or understood.

・On-yomi (音読み): ・ツウ (tsū) ・トゥウ (tō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ・とお (tō) - to pass, to go through ・とお.る (tō.ru) - to pass through, to go along ・かよ.う (kayo.u) - to commute, to go to and from

⚫︎交通 Translation: transportation, traffic ⚫︎普通 Translation: common, ordinary, general ⚫︎通訳 Translation: interpretation, interpreter

The kanji 通 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The component 辶, the "walking" radical (also seen in characters like 道 (road) and 運 (transport)), provides the meaning related to movement or passage. The other component, 甬 (yǒng in Chinese, meaning "way"), provides the sound and further indicates a connection or channel. The combined elements suggest the idea of something moving or passing through a channel or way, hence the meaning of "to pass through" or "to go through." The character has evolved over time, but the core meaning of passage and connection has remained consistent.