The kanji 関 primarily conveys the meaning of "connection," "relation," "barrier," "involvement," or "concern." It suggests a link between things, a place of passage or entry, or the act of being related to something. It can refer to a physical barrier like a gate or pass, or an abstract connection like a relationship or interest.

・On-yomi (音読み): カン kan ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): せき seki, かか.わる kaka.waru (to be related, to be concerned)

⚫︎関係 かんけい Translation: Relationship, connection, relation. ⚫︎関心 かんしん Translation: Interest, concern. ⚫︎関所 せきしょ Translation: Barrier station, checkpoint.

The kanji 関 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 けいせいもじ). The left side is a component representing a door or gate (門 もん, mon), and the right side is a phonetic component (meaning "to close" or "to shut"). The combination suggests a gate that closes, implying a barrier or a point of connection. This character developed to represent places of passage (like gates or checkpoints) and, by extension, the ideas of connection and involvement.