The kanji 開 primarily means "to open," "to unfold," or "to begin." It signifies the act of making something accessible, whether physically, metaphorically, or conceptually. It can relate to opening a door, starting a business, or revealing a secret.

・On-yomi (音読み): カイ (kai) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ひら（く） (hira(ku)) / あ（く） (a(ku)) / あ（ける） (a(keru))

⚫︎ドアを開ける Translation: To open the door. ⚫︎新しい店を開く Translation: To open a new shop/business. ⚫︎会議が開かれる Translation: A meeting will be held (literally, the meeting will be opened).

The kanji 開 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is the "door" radical (門, mon) which represents a gate or door. The right side is a simplified form of a character that represents a hand and a knife or a tool. Together, they suggest the action of "opening" a door, literally using a tool to unlock it or figuratively initiating something. Over time, the form evolved to its current shape.