The kanji 読 means "to read". It encompasses the act of comprehending written text, as well as the related activities of studying and understanding information presented in written form. It's the core concept behind engaging with books, articles, and other forms of written communication.

・On-yomi (音読み): トク (toku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): 読 (yoむ) (yomu)

⚫︎本を読む。 Translation: I read a book. ⚫︎新聞を読みますか？ Translation: Do you read the newspaper? ⚫︎漢字の練習を読む Translation: Reading kanji practice.

The kanji 読 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字; けいせいもじ). The left side is the radical 言 (げん) meaning "words" or "speech," and the right side is 売 (うり, u-ri), which provides the sound component, indicating the pronunciation. Originally, the character may have depicted someone speaking aloud while reading. The combination of "words" and a phonetic component related to pronunciation suggests the act of understanding and voicing the meaning of written words. Over time, the form evolved to its current shape.