The kanji 補 primarily conveys the meaning of "to supplement," "to compensate," "to assist," or "to make up for something." It suggests the action of adding to, repairing, or restoring something to a more complete or satisfactory state. This character often implies the filling of a lack or deficiency.

・On-yomi (音読み): ホ (ho) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): おぎな(う) (ogina(u))

⚫︎ 補習 Translation: Supplementary lessons; remedial instruction. ⚫︎ 補給 Translation: Supply; replenishment. ⚫︎ 補佐 Translation: Assistance; support; aide.

The kanji 補 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいもじ). The left side is the radical 衤, which is the "clothes" radical (示). The right side is 甫, which acts as the phonetic component, indicating the pronunciation. 甫originally depicted a kind of farming implement. The combination suggests that clothes are made with stitches, which can be thought of as a supplement or repair. The character's evolution reflects the ideas of supplementing and repairing, similar to mending clothes.