The kanji character 拒 (kyohi) fundamentally conveys the meaning of "to refuse," "to reject," or "to resist." It implies a denial, an opposition to something, or a withholding of consent or acceptance. It can be used in situations involving turning down an offer, refusing permission, or fighting against something.

・On-yomi (音読み): キョ (kyo) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ことわ(る) (kotowa(ru))

⚫︎拒否 (きょひ) Translation: Refusal; rejection; denial. ⚫︎拒絶 (きょぜつ) Translation: Rejection; refusal; denial. ⚫︎拒む (こばむ) Translation: To refuse; to decline; to reject.

The kanji 拒 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. The left side is the radical 手 (te), meaning "hand." The right side is 巨 (kyo), which is used phonetically and contributes the sound. The original meaning of 巨 (kyo) is "big" or "large," and when combined with the "hand" radical, the 拒 suggests a "hand pushing away" or "a hand resisting," hence the meaning of rejecting or refusing. The formation of 拒 shows a physical action (hand) associated with a resistance, with sound component.