The kanji 感 primarily conveys the idea of "feeling," "sensation," "emotion," or "impression." It encapsulates the experience of receiving stimuli, processing them, and developing an internal state or response. This character goes beyond simple physical sensation; it also encompasses emotional and cognitive responses.

・On-yomi (音読み): カン (kan) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): かん(じる) (kan(jiru))

⚫︎ 感謝 (kansha) Translation: gratitude; appreciation ⚫︎ 感動 (kandou) Translation: being moved; impressed; deeply moved ⚫︎ 五感 (gokan) Translation: the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch)

The kanji 感 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is 心 (kokoro), meaning "heart" or "mind," which acts as the semantic component, indicating the meaning is related to feelings and emotions. The right side is 咸 (kan), which is the phonetic component, providing the sound "kan." Thus, the character 感 combines the idea of the heart and mind with the sound to create the meaning of "feeling" or "sensation." The historical development shows the character gradually evolving towards its current form while retaining the core association with emotional and cognitive responses.