The kanji 香 primarily conveys the idea of "fragrance," "aroma," or "scent." It represents something that has a pleasant smell, often associated with flowers, perfumes, or incense. It can also figuratively represent something that is appealing or desirable.

・On-yomi (音読み): こう (kō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): か (ka) as in 香り (かおり - kaori - aroma, scent)

⚫︎ お香 (おこう - okō) Translation: Incense ⚫︎ 香水 (こうすい - kōsui) Translation: Perfume ⚫︎ 芳香 (ほうこう - hōkō) Translation: Fragrance, aroma

The kanji 香 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 - keisei moji). It combines two elements: ⚫︎ The top part is the radical 禾 (ノギ - nō-hen), which originally depicted grains like rice, and in this context, it suggests "harvest" or "growth." ⚫︎ The bottom part is 日 (ひ - hi - sun, day) or 曰 (いわく - iwaku - say, speak). ⚫︎ The combination creates the idea of "fragrance" which can rise like grains. The use of 日 could also imply that the scent is as radiant or warming as the sun. The combination of these parts suggests that fragrances are like harvested grains that can be a source of pleasure and delight.