The kanji 李 primarily means "plum" or "Japanese plum". It refers to the fruit and, by extension, the tree that bears the fruit. It can also be used metaphorically to refer to something desirable or precious.

・On-yomi (音読み): リ (ri) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): すもも (sumomo)

⚫︎ 李下 Translation: Under the plum tree (Often used in idioms or proverbs) ⚫︎ 李氏 Translation: The Li family (Li is a common surname in Chinese and Korean, and can be used in Japanese context) ⚫︎ 李白 Translation: Li Bai (a famous Chinese poet, known in Japanese as りはく Ri-haku)

The kanji 李 is a pictograph. It depicts a plum tree with its fruits. The top part represents the branches, and the bottom part represents the fruit hanging from the tree. The character has evolved over time, but the core image of the plum and its fruit remains recognizable.