The core meaning of the kanji 残 is "to remain," "to be left over," or "to be left behind." It implies something that persists or survives after something else has been removed or completed. It can also suggest something that is in a state of reduction or decline.

・On-yomi (音読み): ザン (zan) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): のこ（る） (nokoru), のこ（す） (nokosu)

⚫︎残業 (zangyou) Translation: Overtime work ⚫︎残り (nokori) Translation: Remainder; leftovers ⚫︎残念 (zannen) Translation: Regret; disappointment

If the user's native language is Vietnamese: Kanji and Vietnamese share approximately 70% correspondence in their origins. 残 is derived from Sino-Vietnamese (漢越語) and has correspondences with Vietnamese words like: * "Tàn" (remaining, remnant) * "Tàn dư" (residue) * "Tàn khốc" (brutal, cruel, literally remaining harsh)

The kanji 残 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The left side is a radical (偏, hen) called 歹 (also written as 歹, meaning "decay" or "bad") which suggests the meaning of damage, harm, or decay. The right side is 戉, which acts as a phonetic component, representing the sound "zan". Originally, it depicted a person with a broken leg, implying the meaning of being left with a disability. Over time, the meaning broadened to encompass the sense of something remaining or surviving, especially after a loss or damage.