The kanji character 副 represents "deputy," "assistant," "vice," or "sub-". It implies a secondary role, a supporting function, or something that is not the main or principal element. It suggests a position that is subordinate to another or an alternative option.

・On-yomi (音読み): フク (fuku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None commonly used.

⚫︎ 副社長 Translation: Vice President ⚫︎ 副作用 Translation: Side effect ⚫︎ 副菜 Translation: Side dish

The kanji 副 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいもじ). The left side is a radical called 刂, which is the "knife" radical. The right side is 畐, which acts as the phonetic component, indicating the sound (fuku). The original meaning of 畐 is related to "full" or "rich". The combination of the knife radical and the meaning of fullness suggests "to supplement", "to assist", or "to make something secondary". The addition of the knife radical may indicate the cutting or separating of something from a main component to create a secondary one.