The kanji 猟 primarily means "hunting" or "to hunt." It refers to the act of pursuing and capturing animals for food, sport, or other purposes. It encapsulates the idea of the hunter, the hunt itself, and the activities involved in obtaining game.

・On-yomi (音読み): ・リョウ (ryō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ・かり (kari) - to hunt; hunting

⚫︎ 狩猟 Translation: hunting; hunting game; gathering game ⚫︎ 猟師 Translation: hunter; huntsman ⚫︎ 密猟 Translation: poaching

The kanji 猟 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. It combines two elements: ・The radical 犭 (けものへん, kemonohen) on the left side, which signifies "beast" or "animal." This provides the semantic component, indicating that the character is related to animals. ・The character 㝴 (ryō) on the right side, which provides the phonetic component, indicating the sound. The original meaning of 㝴 may relate to a specific way of hunting or trapping. The combination of these elements created the meaning of "hunting" or "to hunt." The radical 犭 specifies the object of the hunting, and the other element provides the phonetic and subtle semantic link to the activity itself. This development reflects how the character became established in the context of hunting activities.