Origin

The character 僧 combines the "person" component on the left with a sound hint on the right. The left part 亻 is a simplified form of the character for person, showing that this kanji refers to a type of human being. The right part 曽 serves as a sound guide, roughly indicating how to pronounce the character (similar to how 曽 is read). Over time, the character came to specifically mean a Buddhist priest or monk, a person devoted to religious practice. The shape essentially says "a person who sounds like 曽" — though the original meaning connection may have been lost in the centuries since the character was formed.