The kanji 滞 primarily conveys the idea of "delay," "stagnation," "hold-up," or "to be detained." It suggests a state of being held back, slowed down, or prevented from moving forward. It implies a lack of progress or a temporary impediment.

・On-yomi (音読み): たい (tai) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): とどこお.る (todokoo.ru)

⚫︎ 遅滞 Translation: Delay; arrears ⚫︎ 滞在 Translation: Staying; sojourn; residence ⚫︎ 停滞 Translation: Stagnation; standstill

The kanji 滞 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is the radical 水 (みず, water), and the right side is the phonetic 𤕰 (tai). 水 (water) gives a general semantic clue related to liquid, flowing, or movement. 𤕰 (tai) provides the sound and possibly suggests the idea of "remaining" or "stopping." Originally, the character's meaning may have been related to water being blocked or held back, leading to the broader concept of delay or stagnation.