The kanji 層 primarily conveys the idea of "layer," "stratum," or "level." It suggests a structure composed of multiple parts arranged one on top of another, or a grouping of similar elements. It can refer to physical layers, such as those found in the earth or in a building, or abstract layers, such as levels of society or stages of development.

・On-yomi (音読み): ソウ ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): - (No common Kun-yomi)

⚫︎地層 (ちそう) Translation: geological stratum, layer of earth ⚫︎高層ビル (こうそうビル) Translation: high-rise building ⚫︎階層 (かいそう) Translation: hierarchy, social strata

The kanji 層 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is a radical called 尸 (し, shi), which originally depicted a body or corpse, later evolving to indicate something related to structure or arrangement. The right side is 曾 (そう, sou), which means "already," or "once," but it also carries the phonetic element to represent the sound. Together, they create a character implying a structure or arrangement that is made up of layers that have been built or arranged. The association with the radical 尸 can be understood as "a structure built up," hinting at the concept of layers one upon another.