The kanji 膜 primarily conveys the meaning of "membrane," "film," or "layer." It refers to a thin, flexible sheet or covering, often of organic origin, that separates or covers something else. It can apply to biological membranes within the body, thin layers or coatings on surfaces, or protective films.

・On-yomi (音読み): マク (maku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, though the concept is sometimes expressed in compound words using other kanji.

⚫︎細胞膜 Translation: Cell membrane ⚫︎涙膜 Translation: Tear film ⚫︎被膜 Translation: Coating; film

The kanji 膜 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound. The phonetic component is 莫 (baku), which conveys the sound, and the semantic component is 月 (tsuki) which is often used in terms related to the body or flesh, indicating a membrane or layer associated with the body. Over time, the character has come to specifically represent the concept of a thin covering or layer, particularly in biological contexts.