The kanji 戯 primarily conveys the idea of play, amusement, and jesting. It implies lighthearted activity, engaging in fun and games, and behaving in a playful or frivolous manner. It suggests a lack of seriousness or a state of being relaxed and entertained.

・On-yomi (音読み): ギ（gi） ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): たわむ（れる） (tawamu(reru)), ざ（れる）(za(reru))

⚫︎遊戯（ゆうぎ） Translation: Play, game ⚫︎戯言（たわごと） Translation: Nonsense, idle talk, jest ⚫︎戯画（ぎが） Translation: Caricature, cartoon

The kanji 戯 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字; keisei moji). The left side is 虍, which is a component referring to a tiger (or something related to animal). The right side is 戱, which originally represented a dance and entertainment. Therefore, 戯 combines the elements of an animal and dancing/entertainment to express the idea of playful behavior. The character's formation is thought to have evolved over time, starting with the more complex 戱 and later simplifying to 戯.