increase, add, augment, gain, promote
増 centers on making something larger in amount, number, or degree: increasing, adding to, augmenting, or gaining more. The sense of promotion fits as a rise in rank or status.
増 is the modern simplified form of 增. The older form combines 土 (earth) with 曽, which likely contributed the sound and the idea of piling up or adding to earth.
The left side is earth 土, and the right side 曽 looks like a stack of fields 田 and a sun 日. Picture piling up earth to increase the height of a mound.
For ゾウ, imagine a growing elephant (象, ぞう) adding more earth to a mound with its trunk: 象 -> ゾウ, and the mound increases.
to increase; to multiply
to increase; to add to; to augment
increase; rise; growth; addition; increment
better; preferable; less objectionable; least-worst
enlargement; increase
increase; multiplication; propagation; proliferation
to increase; to grow
rapid increase; sharp rise; proliferation; surge; explosion
reinforcement; augmentation; strengthening; increase; buildup
tax increase
doubling; double
adding (equipment, facilities, etc.); establishing more; installing more; increase; extension; expansion
increase and decrease; fluctuation
promoting; increase; advance
increase (in an amount of money)
increasing the number of staff; hiring more people
rising water (of river, lake, etc.); swelling water; increased water; high water
increase in production; production increase
dilution; watering down
increase of capital
additional printing; additional print run; reprint
increase in yield
day by day
increased (profit)
increasing the number (of trains, planes, etc.) in operation