The kanji 副 generally conveys the meaning of "deputy," "assistant," "vice-," or "secondary." It implies a position or role that is subordinate, supplementary, or not the primary one. It often refers to something that is an auxiliary or a supporting element.

・On-yomi (音読み): フク (fuku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None

⚫︎ 副社長 (fuku shachou) Translation: Vice President ⚫︎ 副作用 (fukusayou) Translation: Side effect ⚫︎ 副音声 (fuku onsei) Translation: Secondary audio; alternate audio track

The kanji 副 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phonetic ideogram. The left side is a part of the character that provides the meaning, and the right side is a character that provides the sound. The left side is 刂 which is a variant of 刀 (katana), meaning "knife" or "blade." This suggests division or separation. The right side is 畐 (fuku), which is the phonetic component, contributing to the sound of the character. Together, it originally meant to "cut" or "divide" something in a supplementary or secondary manner. Over time, the meaning evolved to represent "deputy" or "secondary" due to the concept of assisting or working alongside the main entity.