The kanji 稿 primarily conveys the meaning of "draft," "manuscript," or "copy." It often refers to a preliminary or unfinished version of a written work, a document, or a plan. It implies something that is subject to revision and editing. It can also broadly relate to something that is presented as a basis for further development.

・On-yomi (音読み): こう (kō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, but often used in compound words.

⚫︎ 原稿 Translation: Manuscript; original copy; draft ⚫︎ 草稿 Translation: Rough draft; sketch; rough copy ⚫︎ 投稿 Translation: Submission (of articles, etc.)

The kanji 稿 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). ⚫︎ The semantic component is 禾 (kome) meaning "grain" or "rice plant," and it provides the meaning related to plants or harvest. ⚫︎ The phonetic component is 高 (kō) which provides the sound and originally related to "high". ⚫︎ Together, the character 稿 implies a "draft" or "rough copy" as if something, like a harvest of ideas, is in its preliminary form before it is fully developed or refined. It suggests the initial stage of a writing or planning process.