The kanji 挑 primarily conveys the idea of "challenging," "provoking," or "initiating." It implies taking on a task, confronting a difficulty, or inciting someone or something to action. It also carries the nuance of selecting or picking something.

・On-yomi (音読み): チョウ (chou) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): いど(む) (idomu)

⚫︎ 挑戦 Translation: Challenge, try ⚫︎ 挑発 Translation: Provocation ⚫︎ 挑む Translation: To challenge, to contend

The kanji 挑 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is the radical 手 (te), meaning "hand" or "action." The right side is 兆 (chou), which is used phonetically to indicate the sound and also suggests the idea of "a beginning" or "a sign." Together, the components suggest "to initiate action with a hand," which over time evolved into the meaning of "challenging" or "provoking." The initial meaning was to raise or lift something with a hand.