The kanji 虜 primarily conveys the idea of "captive," "prisoner," or "to be captured." It suggests someone who has been taken and held against their will, often in the context of war or conflict. The character implies a state of subjugation and loss of freedom.

・On-yomi (音読み): ロ (ro) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): とりこ (toriko)

⚫︎捕虜 Translation: Prisoner of war ⚫︎虜にする Translation: To capture; to take prisoner; to captivate ⚫︎俘虜収容所 Translation: Prisoner of war camp

The kanji 虜 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. It is composed of the phonetic component 虍 (ko, meaning "tiger" or "fierce") and the semantic component 男 (otoko, meaning "man"). The 男 (man) part suggests a human captive. The phonetic component 虍 (ko) contributes to the sound of the character. Together, they represent the concept of a man being subdued, like a tiger's prey, emphasizing the idea of being captured and held as a captive.