The kanji 岐 generally conveys the meaning of "fork," "branch," or "split." It refers to a point where something divides into two or more directions, paths, or parts. It can also imply a divergence or a turning point.

・On-yomi (音読み): キ (ki) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): わかれ (wakare) - to branch off; division

⚫︎ 岐路 Translation: Crossroads; turning point ⚫︎ 岐山 Translation: Gisan (a place name) ⚫︎ 岐阜県 Translation: Gifu Prefecture

The kanji 岐 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is the radical 山 (mountain), which provides the semantic component, indicating that the meaning is related to mountainous terrain. The right side is 支 (shi), which provides the phonetic component, suggesting the pronunciation. It originally depicted a split in a mountain or a mountain path.