The kanji 挟 means "to pinch," "to hold between," "to sandwich," or "to get caught between." It implies a condition where something is squeezed or held firmly between two other things. This can be a physical action or a more abstract concept, such as being caught in a situation.

・On-yomi (音読み): キョウ (kyō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): はさ(む) (hasa(mu))

⚫︎ 両手に本を挟む Translation: To hold a book between both hands. ⚫︎ 事件に巻き込まれ、二つの勢力の間に挟まれた Translation: To be caught up in an incident and caught between two forces. ⚫︎ パンにハムを挟んで食べる Translation: To eat a sandwich by putting ham between bread.

The kanji 挟 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), which means a character that combines a semantic component (meaning) with a phonetic component (sound). The left side is 扌 (てへん, tehen), a component representing "hand," showing the action. The right side is 夾 (kyō), which conveys the phonetic element and also relates to "to hold between." Originally, the character depicted two hands holding something between them. Over time, the form evolved to its modern shape.