Semiotics is the systematic study of symbols and signs and how they are used to create meaning in communication and culture. It explores how signs, which can be words, images, sounds, gestures, or objects, represent something other than themselves and how these representations are interpreted by individuals and within social contexts. Semiotics examines the relationship between signs, the objects or concepts they refer to (referents), and the individuals or groups who interpret them (interpreters). It is a multidisciplinary field that draws from linguistics, philosophy, sociology, and anthropology to understand the complex processes of meaning-making in human communication and cultural systems.