Radical 6 of 20 · へん · left
糸 いとへん: thread
Thread, weaving and cloth, and anything that ties, connects or continues.
Heads 32 of the 1026 kanji taught in Japanese primary school.
字源 · WHY THIS SHAPE
From a picture to 糸
- 1. The picture
A twisted bundle of silk thread, tied at the top with loose ends hanging at the bottom.
- 2. Squeezed to the left
On the left, the bottom of the bundle is pressed into three small strokes so the kanji stays narrow. Look at 線 and 紙.
Origins follow the commonly taught explanations. Where scholars disagree, we say so.
What the family is about
Thread, weaving and cloth, and anything that ties, connects or continues.
- 紙paper
- 結tie
- 続continue
- 組association
When the hint fails
Some are only loosely about thread.
- 約promise
- 級class
- 給salary
The 糸 family, grade by grade
Every primary-school kanji filed under 糸. Tap one to see its meaning.
Grade 1小1 · 1
糸
thread
Grade 2小2 · 5
組
association, braid線
line, track細
dainty, get thin紙
paper絵
picture, drawing
Grade 3小3 · 4
終
end, finish級
class, rank練
practice, gloss緑
green
Grade 4小4 · 5
約
promise, approximately続
continue, series結
tie, bind給
salary, wage縄
straw rope, cord
Grade 5小5 · 10
経
sutra, longitude統
overall, relationship総
general, whole編
compilation, knit織
weave, fabric素
elementary, principle紀
chronicle, account絶
discontinue, sever績
exploits, achievements綿
cotton
Grade 6小6 · 7
系
lineage, system縮
shrink, contract納
settlement, obtain純
genuine, purity縦
vertical, length紅
crimson, deep red絹
silk
Family: kanji whose classical radical in KANJIDIC2 is 糸 (no. 120). KANJIDIC2 © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0.