The kanji 照 represents light, shining, or illumination. It often implies a process of shedding light on something, making it clear, bright, or evident. It can also suggest comparison or reference.

・On-yomi (音読み): ⚫︎ ショウ (shou) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ⚫︎ てる (teru) - to shine, to illuminate

⚫︎ 照明 (しょうめい) Translation: lighting, illumination ⚫︎ 照らす (てらす) Translation: to illuminate, to shine on ⚫︎ 参照 (さんしょう) Translation: reference, consultation

The kanji 照 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). It combines the radical 日 (ひ - hi, sun, day) which provides the meaning, with the phonetic element 昭 (ショウ - shou), which contributes the sound. The combination suggests the idea of the sun (日) shining and illuminating something, thus the meaning of "to shine" or "to illuminate." The 昭 element originally meant "bright" or "clear", and thus reinforces the meaning of illumination.