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Here are a few grammatical words that use 然 according to jisho.org:

>   * 然し（しかし）
>     * however; but
>   * 然して（そして）
>     * and; and then; thus; and now; and finally
>   * 然うして（そうして）
>     * and; like that​
>   * 然も（しかも）
>     * (1) moreover; furthermore​
>     * (2) nevertheless; and yet​
>   * 然も（さも）
>     * (1) really; extremely​
>     * (2) in that way​ (Archaism)
>   * 然う（そう）
>     * (1) in that way; thus; such
>     * (2) so (agreement)
>     * (3) so? (doubt)
>   * 然るべき（しかるべき）
>     * proper; appropriate; due; suitable
>

According to jisho.org, the meanings of 然 are:

> sort of thing, so, if so, in that case, well

The relationship between all these different words and 然 is vague and hard to
understand. Can you offer a logical analysis of why/how 然 is used in such
expressions?
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grammar kanji conjunctions
Meaning of 然 in conjunctions and other grammatical words
Usually, we don't use the Kanji 然 to write しかし，そして，そうして，しかも，さも，そう，しかるべき．You
should use Hiragana instead.

When you search 然し（しかし）in a [Japanese
Dictionary](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/94403/meaning/m0u/%E7%84%B6%E3%81%97/),

> しか‐し【▽然し／▽併し】

the symbol ▽ will appear.

▽ means that the Kanji-reading is not in the 常用漢字表 (regularly-used Kanji
table). Japanese people will not learn these Kanji-reading in their compulsory
education and thus should not be used regularly.

However, the Kanji 然 means "so" in Chinese, so these usages probably came from
there.
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How I see it, 然 has the same meaning in all cases, but with the different
words and particles added after, it get different nuances. Below are my
thoughts about it, but this is in no way a "scientific" explanation. Feel free
to comment...

然 has the meaning of そう、その通り, "so"/"like this"/"like that"

然して is a contraction of 然うして, which is why they have very similar meanings
today, although slight different nuances (然うして is more like "Like this the
result is", whereas 然して is more of a continuation "and then", but they are
often interchangeable)

然し is a contraction of 然しながら. This 然{しか} still has the meaning of "so"/"like
this", whereas the ながら (in this case) is a contrastive conjunction like けれども.
It thus means, "like this, but ..." or simply put, "however".

然{しか}も and 然{さ}も combine the word with the particle も, and means something
like "like this, and also ...", or simply, "furthermore"/その上.

然るべき adds べき to the word, adding the meaning of "should", so, "should like
this", or simply, "appropriate".

For etymological research, I find this resource quite good:
<https://kobun.weblio.jp>
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According to the site below, 然 means to "to burn dog meat with fire "  
<https://okjiten.jp/kanji707.html>

Apparently dog meat was offered as sacrifice in some kind of religious
ceremony, probably in ancient China.

The kanji 然 is used as 当て字 in words like 然り(しかり), 然も(しかも), 然うして(そうして).  
An 当て字 is simply a phonetic equivalent, it has nothing to do with the meaning.
It is just that the sound of the kanji is similar to certain kanas, so it is
used for those kanas.
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