The kanji 添 generally conveys the meaning of "to add," "to attach," "to accompany," or "to supplement." It implies the act of putting something with something else, either physically or metaphorically. This can range from adding a physical item to accompanying a person or adding information to a document. It often suggests a supplementary or complementary action.

・On-yomi (音読み): テン (ten) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): そ[添]える (so[添]eru) - to add, to attach; そ[添]う (so[添]u) - to accompany, to be close to

⚫︎ 手[添]え Translation: Supplement; addition ⚫︎ 添[添]付書類 Translation: Attached documents ⚫︎ 寄り添う Translation: To be close to; to stand by; to support

The kanji 添 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. The character is composed of the semantic component 氵 (san-sui, "water") and the phonetic component 忝 (ten, sound). The semantic component 氵 indicates a connection with water or something liquid, perhaps originally suggesting a sense of flowing or adding. The phonetic component 忝 provides the sound, while the whole character combined together suggests an action of "adding" or "attaching." The original meaning possibly pertained to adding water or something liquid, which then extended to adding or supplementing things more generally.