The kanji 退 primarily conveys the idea of "retreat," "withdraw," "leave," "remove," or "resign." It signifies a movement away from something, a cessation of activity, or a relinquishing of a position. The core concept is about going back or stepping back.

・On-yomi (音読み): たい (tai) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): しりぞ(く) (shirizo(ku))

⚫︎退職 (taishoku) Translation: Retirement; resignation ⚫︎退学 (taigaku) Translation: Withdrawal from school; expulsion ⚫︎後退 (koutai) Translation: Retreat; backward movement

The kanji 退 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). It combines the phonetic element 㞐 (tai, pronounced similarly to the On-yomi たい) and the semantic element 辶 (しんにょう, shinnyou, "road" or "movement"). The phonetic element hints at the sound, while the semantic element suggests the action of moving along a path or road. Thus, 退 depicts the action of going away or retreating on a road.