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Kanji Detail for 弦 - "string, bowstring, chord"

弦

  • Meaning

    弦 means "string, bowstring, chord."

    1. String - A cord on a musical instrument.

    2. Bowstring - The string of a bow.

    3. Chord - A straight line in a circle.

    4. Half moon - The crescent shape of the moon.

  • Words using 弦

    • 弦楽 げんがく Listen music for strings; string music
    • 管弦楽団 かんげんがくだん Listen orchestra
    • 管弦楽 かんげんがく Listen orchestral music

  • Four-character idioms with 弦

    • 詩歌管弦 しいかかんげん Listen Chinese and Japanese poetry and instrumental music; poetry and music; literature and music

  • Tattoo check: 弦

    • Verified meaning: string, bowstring, chord
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read いと, げん, げんじ, さちえ)

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 弦

    Given names 弦(いと)Listen 弦(げん)Listen 弦(ゆずる)Listen

    Surnames 弦(げんじ)Listen 弦(さちえ)Listen 弦(さちひろ)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    bowstring; chord; hypotenuse

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    string; hypotenuse, crescent

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    bow string; string of musical instrument; watchspring; chord (segment of curve); hypotenuse; CL:根[gen1]

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    bow string; string instrument; hypotenuse

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    A bowstring. Made of glued silk cord or hemp. | String instruments are often called 弦. Such as 管弦, 弦索. Now separately written as 絃. | The moon half-full looks like a bow shape, hence called 弦. In the lunar calendar, the 7th-8th of each month is 上弦; the 22nd-23rd is 下弦. | In old medicine, a patient's urgent pulse is called 弦, meaning elastic like a string. | In mathematics, the hypotenuse of a right triangle is called 弦. Also, of the eight circular lines, the perpendicular to the radius intersecting the secant is also 弦. The interior angle is 正弦; the complementary angle is 餘弦. | Ancients used the qin and se to symbolize husband and wife. Hence, a wife's death is 斷弦; remarrying is 續弦.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    gen(ゲン) ゲン

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    tsuru(つる) つる

  • Strokes

    tip

    8 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    弓 (yumi・yumihen)

  • Related Keywords

    string bowstring chord half moon hypotenuse bow cord crescent guitar harmony instrument line lunar melody music pitch resonance rhythm sound tension

Sentences including 弦

  • I broke a string on my guitar.

  • This guitar is missing a string.

  • This guitar is missing a string.

  • This guitar has one broken string.

  • The orchestra struck up nostalgic music.

  • Dvořák's "Slavonic Dances" were originally composed as piano pieces for four hands, but were later arranged for orchestra by the composer himself.

More kanji with the radical 弓 (yumi・yumihen)

See all kanji with this radical →

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