unravel, notes, key, explanation, understanding, untie, undo, solve, answer, cancel, absolve, explain, minute
解 centers on taking something tangled or closed and opening it up: untying a knot, solving a problem, explaining an idea, or canceling a restriction. The sense of 'minute' (detailed) extends from breaking something down into its parts.
understanding; comprehension; appreciation
settlement; solution; resolution
explanation; commentary; exposition; elucidation
release; unleashing; liberation; emancipation; setting free
breaking up (a meeting, gathering, etc.); dispersal (e.g. of a crowd)
cancellation; liquidation; resolution; reduction (e.g. of stress)
termination (of a contract); cancellation; rescinding; rescission
correct answer; right solution; correct interpretation
comprehension; consent; understanding; agreement
interpretation; explanation; reading; construction
misunderstanding
analysis; analytical study
disassembly; dismantling; disaggregating; taking apart; breaking up; analysis; parsing
opinion; point of view
demolition; taking down; dismantling; disassembly; taking apart
dismissal (of an employee); discharge; firing; layoff
to undo; to untie; to unfasten; to unlace; to unravel; to loosen; to unpack
to untie; to unfasten; to unwrap; to undo; to unbind; to unpack
lifting a ban; raising an embargo; opening a season (hunting, fishing, etc.)
elucidation; explication; explaining; unravelling; clarification; understanding
to come loose; to come untied; to come undone; to unravel
to be solved; to be worked out
reconciliation; amicable settlement; accommodation; compromise; mediation; rapprochement
cancellation of a contract
解 combines 角 (horn), 刀 (knife), and 牛 (cow), suggesting cutting apart an animal with a knife, starting from the horn. This gives the core idea of separating or untying.
Picture a knife 刀 cutting the horn 角 off a cow 牛 to separate it from the animal. This act of cutting apart leads to untying, solving, and explaining.
For カイ, imagine a sharp knife cutting through a tangled knot with a satisfying 'kai!' sound: kai -> カイ, and the knot unravels.