Several parts combine into one character.

A poetic compound: the sun (日) rising over grass, with the moon (月) still hanging in the sky on the right side. The encoded scene is exactly that quiet dawn moment when both the sun and the unset moon share the sky — a short, transitory time. The middle of 朝 holds the abstracted grass component; the right side is the moon. Identical across 繁體 / 新字体 / 简体.

Double meaning: "morning" + "imperial court / dynasty". Why? Because Chinese emperors traditionally held court at dawn — the time when ministers gathered to receive instruction. So 朝廷 (cháotíng / chōtei, imperial court), 王朝 (wángcháo / ōchō, dynasty), and 朝代 (cháodài, dynasty period) all derive from "the morning audience". This double-life of 朝 (morning + dynasty) is one of the most important historical-vocabulary keys for reading classical CJK texts.

Mandarin has TWO tones for 朝 — another 破音字: — zhāo (1st tone): morning. 朝阳 (zhāoyáng, morning sun), 朝气 (zhāoqì, morning vigor), 早朝 (zǎocháo, early morning audience). — cháo (2nd tone): dynasty / facing toward. 朝代 (cháodài, dynasty), 唐朝 (Táng Cháo, Tang Dynasty), 朝鲜 (Cháoxiǎn, Korea — the historical name), 朝向 (cháoxiàng, facing direction).

Japanese: on-reading チョウ (chō) for compounds — 朝食 (chōshoku, breakfast — formal), 朝刊 (chōkan, morning newspaper), 王朝 (ōchō, dynasty), 朝廷 (chōtei, imperial court). Kun-reading あさ (asa) is the everyday word — 朝 (asa, morning), 朝ご飯 (asagohan, breakfast — informal), 朝日 (asahi, morning sun — also a major newspaper name), おはよう (ohayō, "good morning" — written 御早う but rarely with kanji).

Korea's historical name 朝鮮 (Joseon) — and the modern (DPRK) — uses this character: "morning-fresh land", a poetic dynasty name from the 14th century.

Memory aid: sun rising through grass with moon lingering — the morning court hour.