The kanji 穀 primarily means "grain," "cereal," or "crops." It refers to edible seeds harvested from cultivated plants, essential for sustenance. It encompasses a wide range of grains like rice, wheat, and barley.

・On-yomi (音読み): コク (koku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, as the meaning is often directly expressed in compound words.

⚫︎ 穀物 Translation: Grains; cereals ⚫︎ 米穀 Translation: Rice and other grains; the grain market ⚫︎ 五穀豊穣 Translation: Abundant harvest of five grains (rice, wheat/barley, millet, beans, and foxtail millet), symbolizing prosperity.

The kanji 穀 is a phono-semantic compound. ⚫︎ The left side, 禾 (kinoide) or ノギ, is a radical representing "grain" or "cereal." ⚫︎ The right side, 谷 (tani) means "valley." The combination suggests grains growing in a valley, a place suitable for cultivation.