道 (dō) means "the way" - movement (辶) guided by a head (首), someone leading the way down a road. The same kanji in kendō, judō, and chadō. 徳 (toku) means "virtue" - originally written as 悳: a straight line (直) above a heart (心), meaning "a straight heart. " Add 彳 (action) and you get virtue expressed through conduct. Together, 道徳 (dōtoku) is "the way of virtue": morality, ethics. Fun fact: in Japan, 道徳 (dōtoku) is an official school subject.

Since 2018, every child studies it with government-approved textbooks. たしかに道徳に反していたのかもしれない、だけど、この人とどうしても結婚したいと思ったの。 Tashika ni dōtoku ni hanshite ita no ka mo shirenai, dakedo, kono hito to dōshite mo kekkon shitai to omotta no. "Perhaps it is indeed immoral, but I was determined to marry this man. " When the heart and the moral compass disagree, that's when 道徳 (dōtoku) gets truly tested. Have you ever done something your head said was wrong but your heart couldn't resist?