The kanji 腐 primarily conveys the concept of decay, rot, decomposition, or spoilage. It implies a process of breaking down or deterioration, often due to the action of microorganisms or other environmental factors. It can apply to both physical objects and abstract concepts.

・On-yomi (音読み): フ（fu） ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): くさ(る)（kusa(ru)）, くさ(れ)（kusa(re)）

⚫︎ 腐敗（fu-hai） Translation: Decay, corruption, decomposition. ⚫︎ 腐った食べ物（kusatta tabemono） Translation: Rotten food. ⚫︎ 豆腐（toufu） Translation: Tofu (literally, "bean curd" - although this example is used, it’s worth noting the kanji 腐 is not directly related to spoilage in this context; it's a homophone)

The kanji 腐 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound. It combines a semantic element and a phonetic element. The semantic element is 　肉（niku）, meaning "flesh" or "meat", and the phonetic element is 付（fu）, which lends the sound. Therefore, the original meaning is related to the decomposition of flesh or meat. The combination visually suggests the concept of meat (represented by the radical) undergoing a process of rotting or decay (indicated by the sound element).