The kanji 油 primarily represents "oil," "fat," or "grease." It refers to a substance that is typically liquid at room temperature, insoluble in water, and used for various purposes like cooking, lubrication, or fuel. The core concept is something that is oily or greasy in nature.

・On-yomi (音読み): ユ (yu) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): あぶら (abura)

⚫︎サラダ油 Translation: Salad oil ⚫︎ガソリン油を補充する Translation: To refuel the gasoline. ⚫︎天ぷら油 Translation: Tempura oil

The kanji 油 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいもじ). It combines the radical 氵 (water) on the left, indicating a liquid, with the phonetic component 由 (yu) on the right, which provides the sound and hints at the meaning. Originally, the character might have depicted the process of extracting oil from something, hence the inclusion of "water" radical. Over time, it came to represent "oil" itself.