The kanji character 掌 primarily represents the "palm" of the hand. It refers to the inner surface of the hand between the wrist and the fingers. It can also figuratively represent something that can be held or controlled within the palm.

・On-yomi (音読み): ショウ (shou) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): たなごころ (tanagokoro) – this is a more literary term for the palm, similar to the English "palms of the hands."

⚫︎ 手の掌 Translation: The palm of the hand. ⚫︎ 掌を返す Translation: To turn one's palm; figuratively, to do a complete about-face, to reverse one's position suddenly. ⚫︎ 掌上 Translation: In the palm (of someone's hand), under control.

The kanji 掌 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The semantic component is the radical "手" (て, te), meaning "hand," providing the meaning element. The phonetic component is "尚" (しょう, shou), which provides the sound element. Together, they combine to indicate the palm, a part of the hand. The shape evolved over time, starting from an image representing the hand and the area where things are held.