The kanji character 柔 represents the concept of "soft," "flexible," "gentle," or "pliant." It implies something that is not rigid or stiff, and can bend or yield easily. This can apply to physical objects, but also to abstract concepts like personality or approach.

・On-yomi (音読み): ジュウ (jū) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): やわ（らか） (yawa(raka)), やわ（らかい） (yawa(rakai))

⚫︎柔道 Translation: Judo (literally "gentle way") ⚫︎柔かいパン Translation: Soft bread ⚫︎柔和な人 Translation: Gentle person

The kanji 柔 is a pictophonetic compound. The left side is a component that depicts a tree's appearance and means "wood" or "tree" and is simplified to look like "木" (ki, tree). The right side is "又" (mata), which looks like a hand. The combination suggests the idea of a tree or wood that is flexible, or handled by a hand in a gentle and supple way.