The kanji 邪 generally conveys the idea of "evil," "wickedness," "wrong," or "deviousness." It implies something that is not morally right, that is harmful, or that goes against accepted standards. It can also refer to things that are unorthodox or not in the proper order.

・On-yomi (音読み): ジャ (ja) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): よこしま (yokoshima)

⚫︎ 邪悪 (jaaku) Translation: Evil; wickedness ⚫︎ 邪念 (janen) Translation: Evil thought; wicked intention ⚫︎ 邪道 (jadou) Translation: Wrong way; heresy

The kanji 邪 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. The left side is a part called 牙 (ga), which originally depicted a fang or tusk, and the right side is a part called ⺇ (also read as ⺇, and is a simplification of ㇉, meaning the place). It is thought to indicate a situation or a place where evil exists, or something is like a fang. The combination creates a sense of something "evil" or "wrong." The meaning evolved from something sharp or harmful, relating to the fang-like shape, to the broader sense of wickedness.