The kanji 荷 generally conveys the meaning of "load," "burden," or "cargo." It often refers to something carried or transported. It can also imply a duty or responsibility.

・On-yomi (音読み): カ (ka) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): に (ni)

⚫︎ 荷物 Translation: baggage, luggage ⚫︎ 手荷物 Translation: hand luggage, carry-on baggage ⚫︎ 負担 Translation: burden, charge, responsibility

The kanji 荷 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The radical (部首, bushu) is "grass radical" 艸 (くさかんむり, kusakanmuri), which is on the top part of the kanji, and the phonetic component is 何 (か, ka) , which provides the sound. The original meaning might have been related to carrying things like plants or crops. Over time, it generalized to include any kind of load or burden.