The kanji 民 primarily represents the concept of "people," "citizens," or "the populace." It refers to the general population of a country or community, often in contrast to the government or ruling class. It conveys the idea of the common people, those who are governed.

・On-yomi (音読み): ミン ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): たみ (tami)

⚫︎ 国民 (kokumin) Translation: Citizenry; National; People of a country ⚫︎ 民主主義 (minshushugi) Translation: Democracy ⚫︎ 人民 (jinmin) Translation: People; Masses

The kanji 民 is a pictograph. It depicts an eye 民 and a sharp object, representing the idea of people being overseen or observed. The original meaning was closely tied to the idea of those under the authority or surveillance of a ruler. Over time, it developed to generally mean the "people" as a whole.