The kanji 襲 generally conveys the idea of "to attack," "to raid," "to invade," or "to assault." It also suggests "to inherit" or "to follow," implying a taking over or continuation of something. It can further mean "to wear" (clothing), referencing a covering or layering action.

・On-yomi (音読み): シュウ (shū) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): おそ（う） (oso(u))

⚫︎奇襲 Translation: Surprise attack, raid ⚫︎襲撃 Translation: Assault, attack ⚫︎襲名 Translation: Taking on the name of one's predecessor (e.g., in Kabuki)

The kanji 襲 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The radical (部首, bushu) is 衣 (ころも, koromo, "clothing"), which gives a clue to its meaning related to covering. The phonetic component is 龍 (リュウ, ryū, "dragon"), which provides the sound. The original meaning might have been related to a covering or layer of clothing, and later expanded to encompass the actions of attacking or inheriting, as a covering or taking over. The character shows a depiction of a dragon 龍 being covered by the clothes 衣.