The kanji 署 primarily conveys the meaning of "office," "station," or "authority." It often refers to a place where official business is conducted, especially related to the government or a specific organization. The core concept revolves around a designated place or entity with a specific area of responsibility.

・On-yomi (音読み): ショ ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, or the kanji is not used in a typical way in Kun-yomi.

⚫︎警察署 (けいさつしょ) Translation: Police station ⚫︎署名 (しょめい) Translation: Signature (literally "sign the office") ⚫︎消防署 (しょうぼうしょ) Translation: Fire station

The kanji 署 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 - keisei moji). It combines two components: ⚫︎The semantic component is 耂 (also written as 老 - rō), which means "old" or "experienced". This part is now rarely used on its own. ⚫︎The phonetic component is 者 (sha), which means "person." This part contributes the sound. ⚫︎Originally, the kanji's meaning was connected to official authority. The use of "old" implied experienced people. Over time, the meaning evolved to represent locations where such authorities (people) work.