The kanji 厳 primarily conveys the meanings of "strict," "severe," "rigorous," "solemn," "dignified," and "stern." It suggests a sense of seriousness, firmness, and a high degree of precision or control. It can also imply something that is difficult or challenging.

・On-yomi (音読み): ・ゲン (gen) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ・きび (kibi) - meaning "strict," "severe" ・おごそ (ogoso) - meaning "solemn," "dignified"

⚫︎ 厳格な規則 Translation: Strict rules ⚫︎ 厳重な警戒 Translation: Strict vigilance ⚫︎ 厳かな雰囲気 Translation: A solemn atmosphere

The kanji 厳 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is a part meaning "mountain" or "cliff," representing a dangerous terrain. The right side is a character signifying "eye," thus depicting the "eye" over the cliff. It originally meant "to be strict like mountains, or looking dangerous." The original meaning was then expanded to include strictness, severity, and solemnity.