The kanji 更 primarily conveys the idea of "renewal," "again," "further," or "more." It signifies a change, a transformation, or an additional instance of something. It also relates to the concept of time, and in some contexts, it can suggest a shift in the status quo.

・On-yomi (音読み): こう (kō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): さら (sara), ふ-ける (fu-keru)

⚫︎変更 (へんこう) Translation: Change; alteration; modification. ⚫︎更新 (こうしん) Translation: Renewal; update; update; updating; to renew; to update. ⚫︎夜更け (よふけ) Translation: Late at night; the depth of night.

The kanji 更 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 - keisei moji). The meaning component is the top part which is like a container, while the phonetic part is the bottom one which is 丙 (hei) indicating the pronunciation. Originally, the character depicted a person changing or replacing something. Over time, the character evolved to represent broader concepts of change, renewal, and addition.