The kanji 孤 generally conveys the idea of "alone," "solitary," or "isolated." It often implies a state of being single, friendless, or without support. It can also refer to something that stands out or is unique.

・On-yomi (音読み): コ (ko) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ひとり (hitori) - meaning "one person," "alone"

⚫︎ 孤独 (kodoku) Translation: loneliness, solitude ⚫︎ 孤立 (koritsu) Translation: isolation, being isolated ⚫︎ 孤児 (koji) Translation: orphan

The kanji 孤 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. It is composed of two parts: the radical 子 (shi, ko) meaning "child," and the phonetic component 瓜 (ka), which provides the sound and originally meant "melon." The combination creates the meaning of a "lone" or "isolated" child. It’s thought to have originally described a child who is alone, such as an orphan.