The kanji 報 primarily conveys the idea of "report," "inform," "reward," or "retribution." It encompasses actions related to conveying information, acknowledging something, or giving something in return, whether good or bad. It suggests a communication of news or a response to an action.

・On-yomi (音読み): ・ホウ (hou) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ・むく(いる) (muku(iru)) - to reward, to requite ・しら(せる) (shira(seru)) - to inform, to notify

⚫︎報告 (ほうこく) Translation: Report ⚫︎情報 (じょうほう) Translation: Information ⚫︎報道 (ほうどう) Translation: News report

The kanji 報 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound. The left side, 辛 (shin), originally depicted a sharp implement or a prisoner being punished, but it later came to mean “pain” or “suffering”, acting as the phonetic component, conveying sound. The right side, 幸 (kou/sachi), means “happiness”, “luck” or "good fortune". Originally, the character depicted a person who made a verbal report to the lord. Thus, originally 報 implied the return of information, as a recompense of the lord's reward, or the receipt of punishment as a result of the lord's decree. The meaning has expanded to include general reporting and reward.