The kanji character 拠 primarily conveys the ideas of "basis," "to be based on," "to rely on," or "a point." It signifies a point of support, a foundation, or a place where something is established or centered. It can also imply a source or origin.

・On-yomi (音読み): キョ (kyo) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): よ（る） (yo(ru))

⚫︎ 根拠 (konkyo) Translation: basis; grounds; foundation; reason ⚫︎ 拠点 (kyoten) Translation: base; position; point; stronghold; location ⚫︎ 依拠する (ikyosuru) Translation: to be based on; to depend on

The kanji 拠 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字; keisei moji). The semantic component is 扌(て; te), which is a variant of 手 (te), meaning "hand." This suggests an action. The phonetic component is 巨 (kyo), which conveys the sound and indirectly relates to something large or significant, and thus "stable". Originally, it depicted a hand holding something for support, hence the meaning of "basis" or "support." Over time, the form evolved and incorporated the meaning of "place" or "point of focus."