The kanji 失 primarily conveys the idea of "loss," "failure," or "to lose something." It implies the concept of something being taken away, going missing, or not succeeding. It can also relate to errors, mistakes, and things that are no longer present or valid.

・On-yomi (音読み): シツ (shitsu) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): うしな（う） (ushina(u)) – to lose, to miss

⚫︎ 失敗（しっぱい） Translation: failure; mistake; blunder ⚫︎ 失礼（しつれい） Translation: rudeness; impoliteness; Excuse me; Goodbye ⚫︎ 損失（そんしつ） Translation: loss; damage; casualty

The kanji 失 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 – keisei moji). The top part is 夫 (fu), which originally depicted a man. The bottom part is 乙 (otsu), a symbol related to the concept of “something falling down.” Thus, 失 originally described the idea of something being lost by a man or falling. Over time, the meaning broadened to encompass the various senses of “loss” and “failure.”