Onyomi: ソク · Kunyomi: たば, たば.ねる, つか, つか.ねる · Meanings: bundle, control, govern, manage, ream, sheaf, tie in bundles
Kanji for bundle, control, govern, manage, ream
Fast lookup with examples and clean stroke-order visualization.
Experience 束 in 3D! View the complete 3D Kanji model to understand its shape and stroke depth from every angle. Click the button below to see 束 in 3D and explore how each stroke forms this character.
Please support us by sharing!
Find visually similar kanji, commonly confused characters, related meanings, and useful words connected to 束.
In ancient times, 束 showed a hand tying or wrapping several sticks or plants together with a cord. The top and bottom lines represent the strings or ties, while the middle part 木 (tree/wood) shows what is being bound. It symbolized the idea of gathering loose things into one — a “bundle.” Later, it also came to express concepts like binding, control, or a group held together by force or purpose.
束 shows a bundle of sticks or wood (木) tied tightly with strings. It represents the act of gathering, tying, or binding things together — both physically and in meaning, like a bundle or collection.
Imagine taking a few sticks and wrapping them with a rope so they don’t scatter. That tied bundle is 束 — things held together, neat and controlled.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 束 | たば | bundle, bunch, sheaf | common JLPT-N3 Noun, Noun, used as a suffix, Counter |
| 束 | そく | lattice | Noun, Noun, used as a suffix |
| 束 | つか | strut, short vertical post | Noun |
| つかの間 | つかのま | moment, brief space of time | common JLPT-N1 Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 束縛 | そくばく | restraint, restriction, fetters, yoke, shackles | common JLPT-N1 Noun, Suru verb, Transitive verb |
| 束ねる | たばねる | to tie up in a bundle (e.g. straw, hair, bills, letters), to bundle, to sheathe | common Ichidan verb, Transitive verb |
| 束ね | たばね | bundle, control, management | Noun |
| 束帯 | そくたい | old ceremonial court dress | Noun |
| 束指標 | たばしひょう | bundle index | Noun |
| 束子 | たわし | scrubbing brush, scourer | Noun |