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Kanji Detail for 絆 - "bond, ties, fetter"

  • Meaning

    絆 means "bond, ties, fetter."

    1. Bond - A tie; a connection.

    2. Ties - Relationships; links.

    3. Fetter - A restraint; a binding.

  • Origin of

    The thread radical 糸 beside 半, lending the reading han: originally the tether that keeps an animal from straying. The rope that holds became the bond between people — what ties us is what keeps us.

    How to remember it: A tether 糸 holding half 半 of you to half of someone else — the bond that keeps both from drifting.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check:

    • Verified meaning: bond, ties, fetter
    • Jinmeiyō kanji — officially approved for use in Japanese given names
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read きずな, りあん)

    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

    Given names (きずな)Listen (りあん)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    bonds; fetters

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    loop, catch; fetter, shackle

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    to trip; to stumble; to hinder

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    a loop of thread; shackles, fetters; to stumble, to trip

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

    A horse tether. Binding the feet is called 絆. Now saying obstructing someone's movement is called 絆住.
  • Onyomi

    tip
  • Kunyomi

    tip
  • Strokes

    tip
  • Radical

    tip
  • Related Keywords

Sentences including

  • Do you have a band-aid?

  • There is a strong bond between the brothers.

  • There is a strong bond of affection between them.

  • My sister and I have a very strong connection.

  • Mom applied the plaster to the cut.

  • Nobody could tear apart the bond that Tom and Mary have together.

  • We are bound to each other by a close friendship.

  • Our connection may be cut on paper but the bonds of old remain as they were.

  • Tom put a bandage on Mary's cut.

  • Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

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