The core meaning of the kanji 懸 is "to hang," "to suspend," or "to be suspended." It implies a state of being attached or held from above, often in a precarious or temporary way. This character can also extend to meanings related to suspense, worry, or something being at stake.

・On-yomi (音読み): * ケン (ken) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): * か（ける） (ka(keru)) - to hang, to suspend * かか（る） (kaka(ru)) - to be hung, to be suspended * かかり (kakari) - (noun) suspension, a hanging

⚫︎ 懸垂 Translation: chin-ups (literally "hanging and suspending") ⚫︎ 懸賞 Translation: a prize, a giveaway (literally "hanging reward") ⚫︎ 懸命 Translation: earnestly; desperately; with all one's might (literally "hanging life," implying giving one's all)

The kanji 懸 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. The left part of the character, 　（系），is the semantic component (meaning part) and represents "thread" or "to connect". The right part of the character, 　（県），is the phonetic component (sound part), representing the sound "ken". The original meaning of 懸 was related to hanging or suspending something using a thread or rope.