The kanji 族 primarily conveys the meaning of "tribe," "family," "group," or "clan." It implies a collection of people, usually related by blood or sharing a common origin or characteristics, bound together by a sense of belonging. The core concept revolves around the idea of a group of people who share a common identity or lineage.

・On-yomi (音読み): ぞく (zoku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, as the meaning is generally covered by the on-yomi reading.

⚫︎ 家族（かぞく） Translation: Family ⚫︎ 民族（みんぞく） Translation: Ethnic group; people ⚫︎ 同族（どうぞく） Translation: Same family; same tribe

The kanji 族 is a phono-semantic compound. It is composed of the semantic component "尸" (し, shi) meaning "corpse" or "body" which has undergone simplification and "矢" (や, ya) meaning "arrow" . Originally it represented a group of people who lived in the same place. Over time, the meaning evolved to represent a group of people. The evolution of this kanji reflects the historical importance of tribal and familial structures in ancient societies. The character symbolizes the connection, belonging, and shared identity within a group.