The kanji 難 primarily conveys the idea of difficulty, hardship, or trouble. It signifies something that is not easily accomplished, a challenging situation, or a state of being difficult. It can also imply danger or something that poses a problem.

・On-yomi (音読み): ⚫︎ nan (ナン) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ⚫︎ muzukashii (むずかしい) - difficult ⚫︎ katai (かたい) - tough ⚫︎ mazui (まずい) - bad

⚫︎ 難しい問題 Translation: A difficult problem ⚫︎ 困難な状況 Translation: A difficult situation; a hardship ⚫︎ 難民 Translation: Refugee

The kanji 難 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound. It combines two elements: ⚫︎ The phonetic element is 堇 (kin), which originally depicted a type of plant. This component provides the sound. ⚫︎ The semantic element is 隹, which depicts a bird. It is combined with other elements to indicate a situation that is complex. Over time, the character evolved to represent the concept of difficulty or hardship because of its complex structure. It reflects the idea that the situation is difficult. The meaning of 難 evolved and it has come to represent difficulty, hardship, or trouble.