The kanji 玄 primarily conveys the idea of "black," "mysterious," "profound," or "dark." It often implies something hidden, deep, or related to the unseen aspects of the world. It can also refer to the color black or things that are difficult to understand.

・On-yomi (音読み): ゲン (gen) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): くろ (kuro - only in rare cases)

⚫︎ 玄米 Translation: brown rice (literally "dark rice") ⚫︎ 玄人 Translation: expert; professional (literally "dark person," implying someone deeply skilled and knowledgeable) ⚫︎ 玄妙 Translation: profound; mysterious (玄妙 - genmyou)

The kanji 玄 is a pictograph. It originally depicted a tightly wound thread or a bundle of something dark, representing a color of depth or the color black. Over time, the form evolved to its current shape. The idea of "black" then extended to mean "dark," "mysterious," and "profound," as these concepts were often associated with the unknown and the unseen.