The kanji 簡 primarily conveys the ideas of "simplicity," "brevity," "easy," and "to choose or select." It suggests a concise or straightforward approach, often implying a lack of unnecessary complexity. It also carries the nuance of being a "letter" or "document" due to its use in written communication.

・On-yomi (音読み): カン ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): えら(ぶ)

⚫︎簡単簡 Translation: Easy, simple ⚫︎簡潔簡 Translation: Concise, brief, succinct ⚫︎簡略化簡する Translation: To simplify, to streamline

The kanji 簡 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is a radical called 竹 (take), meaning "bamboo," which provides the semantic component (meaning). The right side is a phonetic component, 柬, which provides the sound (kan) and also has the meaning of "to choose" or "to pick." Originally, the character represented writing on bamboo strips. The use of bamboo strips implied the character's core meanings such as "simple" or "easy" as it related to the writing of letters or documents on the bamboo strips. The character later took on the meaning of "simplicity" because writing on the bamboo strips was intentionally short, so it could be easily understood.