The kanji 迷 primarily conveys the concept of being lost, confused, or bewildered. It signifies a state of disorientation, uncertainty, or lacking direction. This can be in a literal sense, like being lost physically, or in a figurative sense, like being confused about a decision or one's path in life.

・On-yomi (音読み): メイ (mei) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): まよ-う (mayo-u)

⚫︎道に迷う Translation: To get lost on the road. ⚫︎迷惑メール Translation: Spam mail; "bewilderment mail". ⚫︎彼は将来の進路に迷っている Translation: He is confused about his future career path.

The kanji 迷 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound. The left side is the radical しんにょう (shinnnyou), which often indicates movement or walking. The right side is 米 (mai/kome), meaning "rice". The original meaning of 米 might have related to something subtle or small. Putting these together, it suggests something related to "walking in a subtle or confused way," hence "to be lost" or "to wander." The meaning then broadened to include mental states of confusion.