The kanji 言 primarily conveys the meaning of "words," "speech," "to say," or "to speak." It represents the concept of verbal communication and expression. This includes not only the act of speaking but also the content and meaning of the spoken words.

・On-yomi (音読み): ⚫︎ ゲン (gen) ⚫︎ ゴン (gon) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ⚫︎ いう (iu) - to say; to speak ⚫︎ こと (koto) - a thing; a matter; a word

⚫︎ 言語 (gen go) Translation: Language ⚫︎ 言う (iu) Translation: To say ⚫︎ 言葉 (kotoba) Translation: Words

The kanji 言 is a pictograph. It originally depicted a mouth (represented by a horizontal line at the bottom) with words or a sound emanating from it. The upper part of the character shows a type of "tongue" or "breath" to show something coming out from mouth. Over time, the form of the character evolved to its current shape, but it still visually represents the act of speaking and conveying information through words.