The kanji 鳴 primarily conveys the idea of "to chirp," "to sing," "to ring," or "to make a sound." It often refers to sounds made by animals, birds, or other objects. It suggests a vocalization, a call, or a sound that is produced.

・On-yomi (音読み): メイ (mei) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): なく (naku)

⚫︎ 鳥が鳴く Translation: The bird sings/chirps. ⚫︎ 警報が鳴る Translation: The alarm sounds/goes off. ⚫︎ 携帯電話の鳴き声 Translation: The sound of a mobile phone ringing.

The kanji 鳴 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいもじ). ⚫︎ The phonetic component is 吳 (go), which provides the sound element. 吳 originally depicted a type of weapon. The meaning of 吳 is no longer directly associated with the meaning of 鳴 in modern usage. ⚫︎ The semantic component is 口 (くち, kuchi), meaning "mouth." This element suggests that the sound originates from a mouth. The original form of 鳴, which combines these elements, graphically suggests the "sound from the mouth."