The kanji character 層 primarily signifies "layer," "stratum," or "tier." It refers to something that is composed of multiple levels or sections, either physically or metaphorically. This can apply to physical layers like those found in the earth, social structures, or even abstract concepts like emotional levels. It emphasizes a sense of division or arrangement into distinct parts.

・On-yomi (音読み): ソウ (sou) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None

⚫︎ 地層 (chisou) Translation: geological stratum/layer ⚫︎ 階層 (kaisou) Translation: hierarchy/level/class ⚫︎ 多層 (tasou) Translation: multi-layered

The kanji 層 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound. The phonetic component is 曾 (sou), which originally represented "to increase." The semantic component is 尸 (shikabane), which originally represents "corpse" or "body." Combining them to form the character 層, it suggested the stacking of many layers, similar to how something accumulates through time. Later, the 尸 was changed into 土 (tsuchi), meaning "earth". Therefore 層is often associated with layers of the earth, as well as layers of any entity.