The kanji 符 primarily conveys the idea of a "mark," "symbol," "charm," or "tally." It often relates to something that signifies a particular meaning, function, or authority, and can be found in various contexts, including religious charms, identification tags, and symbolic representations. It can represent a written or drawn symbol that carries a specific meaning or power.

・On-yomi (音読み): フ (fu) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, or rarely used as a verb with a meaning like "to correspond" (符う)

⚫︎ お守り (o-mamori) Translation: Amulet; charm. The 符 in お守り (o-mamori) relates to the charms or protective symbols found within amulets. ⚫︎ 符号 (fugou) Translation: Symbol; sign; code. This word signifies a mark or sign used for identification or communication. ⚫︎ 護符 (gofu) Translation: Talisman; charm. 護符 combines "protect" (護) with 符, representing a protective charm.

The kanji 符 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. Its formation involves a combination of two components: ⚫︎ The radical 竹 (take), meaning "bamboo" which is the semantic component, and suggests the original use of bamboo strips for making marks. ⚫︎ The phonetic component 付 (fu), indicating the sound and contributing to the overall meaning. Historically, the "mark" or "symbol" was recorded or written on bamboo strips.