The kanji 存 primarily conveys the idea of "to exist," "to be," "to live," or "to remain." It often implies the continued presence or existence of something, whether it be a physical object, a person, or an abstract concept. It can also imply to "think" or "consider."

・On-yomi (音読み): ソン (son) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ながら (nagara - used in a more literary context, meaning "to exist while")

⚫︎生存（せいぞん） Translation: Survival; Existence ⚫︎保存（ほぞん） Translation: Preservation; Conservation; Storage ⚫︎ご存知（ごぞんじ） Translation: (Respectfully) knowing; being aware

The kanji 存 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいもじ). It combines the radical 子（こ - child）representing a young one and 才（さい - talent). The original meaning was "to exist" or "to be present". The child and talent aspects combined to show the meaning to exist, or remain. The 才 part is often associated with the phonetic element, lending the sound "son". Over time, it developed the broader meaning of existence and being.