The kanji 発 primarily conveys the idea of "to start," "to emit," "to develop," or "to depart." It implies the beginning of something, the sending out of something, or the emergence of something new. It encapsulates the concepts of initiation, emergence, and dissemination.

・On-yomi (音読み): ハツ(hatsu) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): た（つ）(ta(tsu))

⚫︎出発 Translation: Departure, starting out ⚫︎発表 Translation: Announcement, presentation ⚫︎発明 Translation: Invention

The kanji 発 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいいもじ, *keisei moji*). The phonetic component is 癹(hatsu, to burst forth), and the semantic component is 卩. The original form depicts an arrow, or perhaps a sprout, shooting or emerging. The combination creates the idea of "to launch" or "to send forth." Over time, the character evolved to represent the broader concepts of "to start," "to emit," and "to develop."