The kanji 業 generally conveys the concept of "work," "business," "act," "deed," or "karma." It often implies a completed action or its consequences, encompassing both the act itself and the resulting effect or outcome. This kanji can refer to a profession or vocation, or the impact of one's actions, particularly in a karmic sense. It encompasses both the active process of doing something and the subsequent results.

・On-yomi (音読み): ぎょう (gyou), ごう (gou) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): わざ (waza)

⚫︎仕事（しごと） Translation: Work, job ⚫︎卒業（そつぎょう） Translation: Graduation (literally, "completion of studies") ⚫︎悪業（あくごう） Translation: Evil deed/act, bad karma

The kanji 業 is a 形声文字（けいせいもじ - keisei moji), which means it's a character formed by combining a semantic component (meaning component) and a phonetic component (sound component). ⚫︎The semantic component is 業 (gyou/gou). It depicts "a tree branch hanging downward." It originally depicted the act of cutting wood, which then broadened to depict an occupation. ⚫︎The phonetic component is 羊 (you/you) which is a component that represents its sound. ⚫︎Over time, the meaning expanded to encompass the broader ideas of "work," "business," and eventually, "karma" and the consequences of actions. The combination of the semantic and phonetic components created a kanji that represented both the action itself and its resulting influence or outcome.