The kanji 冷 primarily conveys the idea of "cold" or "cool". This can refer to physical temperature, emotional states, or even a lack of enthusiasm or warmth. It suggests a state of reduced heat or activity.

・On-yomi (音読み): レイ (rei) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ひ（える） (hi（eru） - to become cold), さ（める） (sa（meru） - to cool down), つめ（たい） (tsume（tai） - cold)

⚫︎ 冷たい水 Translation: Cold water ⚫︎ 冷蔵庫 (reizouko) Translation: Refrigerator ⚫︎ 冷戦 (reisen) Translation: Cold war

The kanji 冷 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). It combines two parts: ⚫︎ The semantic component (meaning) is 冫 (niisui, also read as "ice"). 冫 represents "ice" or "coldness". This is a simplified form of 冰 (kōri - ice). ⚫︎ The phonetic component (sound) is 令 (rei), which provides the sound "rei". Originally, 令 meant "command" or "order," but it lends its sound to the character. Therefore, the character suggests something related to "coldness" ("ice") associated with the sound "rei".