The kanji 誇 primarily conveys the meanings of "boast," "pride," and "to be proud of." It signifies an elevated sense of self-worth, achievement, or capability, often expressed through statements or displays. It also implies a sense of exaggeration or embellishment, depending on the context. The core meaning revolves around self-esteem, pride, and the act of showing off.

・On-yomi (音読み): コ (ko) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): 誇る (ほこる / hokoru) - to boast, to be proud of

⚫︎ 彼は自分の成果を誇っている。 Translation: He is proud of his achievements. ⚫︎ 誇大広告 Translation: Exaggerated advertisement. ⚫︎ そのチームは優勝を誇りとしている。 Translation: That team is proud of winning the championship.

The kanji 誇 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 / keisei moji). The semantic component (意符 / ifu) is the "言" radical (ことば / kotoba), meaning "words" or "speech," indicating that the character is related to something said or expressed. The phonetic component (音符 / onpu) is "夸" (pronounced as カ / ka or コ / ko in some Chinese dialects), which provides the sound of the character. The combination of "言" and "夸" suggests that the character relates to speaking or using words to express pride or make a boast. The original meaning implied speaking loudly or exaggerating about oneself.