The kanji 遭 generally conveys the meaning of "to encounter," "to meet with," "to suffer," or "to experience" something, often unexpectedly or negatively. It suggests an event that happens to someone, a situation they are subjected to. It implies a sense of happening upon something or being affected by an event.

・On-yomi (音読み): ソウ (sō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): あ（う） (a(u))

⚫︎ 交通事故に遭う Translation: To be involved in a traffic accident. ⚫︎ 災害に遭う Translation: To suffer a disaster. ⚫︎ 彼は困難に遭った Translation: He encountered difficulties.

The kanji 遭 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. It is composed of the radical 辶 (しんにょう - shinnyō), which signifies "movement" or "to go," and 曹 (そう - sō) which represents a sound element. The original meaning of 曹 is "official," which is also used phonetically. Therefore, 遭 suggests an encounter or meeting that happens as one moves or goes. The movement element 辶 suggests that the "encounter" is something one comes across during their path.