The kanji 憲 primarily conveys the meaning of "constitution," "law," or "rule." It signifies a fundamental set of principles, rules, or guidelines that govern a system, organization, or society. It suggests an established framework that provides order and structure.

・On-yomi (音読み): ケン (ken) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): There are no common Kun-yomi readings for this kanji.

⚫︎ 憲法 (kenpou) Translation: Constitution ⚫︎ 違憲 (iken) Translation: Unconstitutional ⚫︎ 憲章 (kenshou) Translation: Charter

The kanji 憲 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The left side is the radical 心 (kokoro, heart), which suggests emotion, thought, or mind. The right side is the phonetic component 臽 (kan), which gives the sound. The overall structure combines the "heart" aspect with the sound and also implies the idea of principles that are in the heart, or the core principles. It evolved to represent the concept of laws and regulations which stem from core values and principles.