The kanji 肝 primarily signifies the "liver" or "vital organs" and by extension, can refer to the core or essence of something, embodying the idea of importance, the essential part, or the inner workings of a system. It often relates to the concept of one's inner being, courage, or determination, metaphorically linked to the liver's function in the body as a crucial organ.

・On-yomi (音読み): カン (kan) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): きも (kimo)

⚫︎肝臓（かんぞう） Translation: Liver ⚫︎肝心（かんじん） Translation: Important, essential ⚫︎肝が据わる（きもがすわる） Translation: To be brave, to be courageous (literally: "the liver settles")

The kanji 肝 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The radical on the left side, 月 (⺼), often seen as the "meat" radical, represents "flesh" or "body." The right side is 肝, which serves as the phonetic component, conveying the sound of the character. Together, they depict the organ "liver" as a part of the body.