The kanji 栞 primarily means "bookmark" or "guide." It refers to something that marks a place, typically in a book, to indicate where one stopped reading or wishes to return to. It can also imply a guide or a source of information that helps one navigate or understand something.

・On-yomi (音読み): カン (kan) - This reading is less common. ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): しおり (shiori)

⚫︎本の栞 Translation: book bookmark ⚫︎栞を挟む Translation: to insert a bookmark ⚫︎旅の栞 Translation: travel guide

The kanji 栞 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. The left side is 木 (ki), meaning "tree" or "wood," which provides the semantic component (meaning). The right side is 干 (kan), which provides the phonetic component (sound) and possibly hints at the original meaning. Originally, the character might have referred to marking something with a piece of wood. The formation suggests the character evolved to represent something that helps to mark or guide.