The kanji 代 代 primarily conveys the concept of "generation," "age," "substitute," or "represent." It often relates to something that replaces or stands in for something else, whether it's a person, object, or period of time. It can also imply a period, era, or a change across time.

・On-yomi (音読み): ダイ (dai), タイ (tai) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): か（わる） (ka(waru)), しろ (shiro)

⚫︎時代 (じだい) Translation: Era; Period; Age ⚫︎代表 (だいひょう) Translation: Representative; Delegation ⚫︎代金 (だいきん) Translation: Price; Payment; Charge

The kanji 代 代 is a pictograph. It depicts a person standing or walking, represented by 人 ひと (hito) "person" on top, and a line below representing a walking leg or legs. The initial meaning was something like "to replace" or "to exchange". Through the evolution of the character, it took on the meanings of "generation" (as in one person replacing another), "era", and "substitute".