The kanji 相 generally conveys the idea of "mutual," "together," "each other," or "appearance/aspect." It often implies a relationship, interaction, or shared characteristic between two or more things or people. It can also refer to appearance or the way something seems to be.

・On-yomi (音読み): そう (sō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): あい (ai)

⚫︎ 相手 (aite) Translation: Opponent; the other party; the person one is with. ⚫︎ 相談 (sōdan) Translation: Consultation; discussion; to consult. ⚫︎ 首相 (shushō) Translation: Prime Minister.

The kanji 相 is a pictophonetic compound. The left side is a picture of a tree 木 (ki) which represents a post, and the right side is eye 目 (me). The original meaning might have been related to looking, or inspecting. Over time, it evolved to represent a mutual look, or interaction.