Onyomi: ショ, チョ · Kunyomi: いとぐち, お · Meanings: beginning, cord, end, inception, mental or emotional state, strap, thong
Kanji for beginning, cord, end, inception, mental or emotional state
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The kanji 緒 is made of two parts: 糸, meaning “thread,” and 者, meaning “person” or “someone.” In ancient times, threads symbolized connections — how things or people are tied together. When the character 者 was added, it gave the sense of “a person or thing being tied by threads,” or “the starting point of a thread.” From this image came the meanings of “beginning,” “connection,” and “cord.” It carries the idea that every relationship or event begins with a single thread that links things together.
緒 combines 糸 (thread) and 者 (person) to represent a person connected by threads — the start of a bond or relationship. It reflects how everything begins from one small connection, just like a single thread starting a larger weave.
Imagine a person (者) holding a thread (糸), tying the first knot that connects two things — that’s 緒, the beginning of a link or bond.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 糸口 | いとぐち | beginning, start, first step | common Noun |
| 緒 | お | cord, strap, thong | common Noun |
| 緒 | しょ | beginning, inception | Noun |
| 緒戦 | しょせん | beginning of hostilities, beginning of competition | Noun |
| 緒につく | しょにつく | to be started, to get underway | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Godan verb with 'ku' ending |
| 緒言 | しょげん | foreword, preface | Noun |
| 緒締め | おじめ | string-fastener, drawstring on pouch or purse (handbag) | Noun |
| 緒論 | しょろん | introduction, preface | Noun |
| 緒作 | しょさく | various works | Noun |
| 糸口を開く | いとぐちをひらく | to find a clue, to make a beginning | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Godan verb with 'ku' ending |