The kanji 郎 primarily signifies "son," "young man," or "husband." It often implies a male individual, particularly a young or unmarried one, or a man in a familial or romantic context. It can also be used more generally to refer to a person's male partner.

・On-yomi (音読み): ロウ (rō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, but it is often used as a suffix for names.

⚫︎ 太郎 (Tarō) Translation: Tarō (a common male given name) ⚫︎ 新郎 (shinrō) Translation: bridegroom ⚫︎ 一郎 (Ichirō) Translation: Ichirō (a common male given name)

The kanji 郎 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいもじ). The semantic component is 阝 (also written as 邑), which on the left side of a kanji character can indicate a place. The phonetic component is 良 (りょう, ryō), which provides the sound of the character. Together, it conveys the meaning of "young man" or "son" originally, because the place or clan's prosperity can be carried on by the son.