• 柔やわらか — soft; tender
• 柔やわらかい — gentle; flexible
• 柔道じゅうどう — judo (the way of flexibility)
• 柔和にゅうわ — gentleness; mildness
• 柔軟じゅうなん — flexibility; adaptability
• 優柔不断ゆうじゅうふだん — indecisiveness; wishy-washiness

柔 combines 木 “tree/wood” with the phonetic 矛 (weapon/spear). Originally, it depicted bending a weapon like a bow or spear — extending to the idea of softness, pliability, and gentleness.