The kanji 弁 generally conveys the core meanings of "distinguish," "speak," "to argue," "to differentiate," "valve," and "petal." It often implies the act of clarifying, explaining, or justifying something, or it can relate to mechanisms controlling flow or movement. The meaning pivots around the ideas of understanding, separating, and articulating.

・On-yomi (音読み): ベン (ben) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): わきま（える） (wakima(eru))

⚫︎ 弁解 (benkai) Translation: explanation; excuse; justification ⚫︎ 弁護士 (bengoshi) Translation: lawyer; attorney ⚫︎ 弁論 (benron) Translation: argument; debate; speech

The kanji 弁 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The left side is a component relating to the act of speaking, and the right side originally represented a type of mouth or tool. This combination symbolizes the act of articulating or speaking. Through the development, it was later adopted to represent the valve. The meaning developed over time to include distinctions and arguments.