The kanji 是 primarily means "this," "correct," "right," or "indeed." It signifies affirmation, agreement, or the assertion of truth. It often points to a preceding statement or situation, confirming it as factual or valid.

・On-yomi (音読み): ゼ (ze) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, as the meaning is often conveyed through its usage in compound words.

⚫︎ そうですか。 Translation: Is that so? / I see. ⚫︎ これは是です。 Translation: This is correct. ⚫︎ 是正 ぜせい Translation: Correction; rectification.

The kanji 是 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The upper part 日 (sun) acts as the semantic component, indicating clarity or truth. The lower part 止 (stop, foot) acts as the phonetic component, suggesting the sound and perhaps the idea of stopping or confirming. The combined meaning suggests "to confirm something is correct or clear."