The kanji 殉 primarily conveys the meaning of "to die for a cause," "to sacrifice oneself," or "to follow (someone) in death." It implies a sense of loyalty, devotion, and self-sacrifice, often in the face of adversity or for a particular belief or principle. It suggests a commitment so strong that one is willing to give up their life for it.

・On-yomi (音読み): ジュン (jun) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): したが（う） (shitaga(u)) - to follow, to obey; じゅんずる (junsuru) - to die for

⚫︎ 殉職（じゅんしょく） Translation: Death in the line of duty; martyrdom ⚫︎ 殉教（じゅんきょう） Translation: Martyrdom; to die for one's faith ⚫︎ 殉国（じゅんこく） Translation: Devotion to one's country; to die for one's country

The kanji 殉 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The left side is the radical of "death" or "sacrifice" (歹 or 歺 - commonly written as a variation of 歹, which is a shortened form of 歹) and the right side is 旬 (shun), which originally meant "ten days." The original meaning was to die with or accompany someone after ten days. Together, the components indicate the act of sacrifice or dying for a cause or to follow someone in death. The use of "ten days" might have related to a specific period or ritual. Over time, the meaning evolved to more broadly represent devotion and sacrifice.