The kanji 例 (rei) primarily conveys the meaning of "example," "instance," or "case." It represents something used to illustrate or demonstrate a point, a typical occurrence, or a specific situation used for comparison. It can also imply a model or a standard.

・On-yomi (音読み): レイ (rei) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ためし (tameshi) - example, instance

⚫︎ 例（例）えば、〜 Translation: For example, ~ ⚫︎ 事例（じれい） Translation: Example; case; instance ⚫︎ 例（例）外（れいがい） Translation: Exception; irregularity

The kanji 例 is a combination of the radical 人（にん） (person) on the left side and the phonetic component 列（れつ） (row, line) on the right. 列 suggests "to arrange" or "to line up." The original meaning possibly related to arranging people in a specific order or position. The character evolved to represent an example being "lined up" or presented for observation or study. Over time, it developed the meaning of an "instance" or "model" used for illustration or imitation.