釣 means “fish (with a line), angle”

つる · tsuru

Also: angling, fish, catch, allure

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): つる, つり
On'yomi (Chinese reading): チョウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes

The story

Metal (金) bent into a little scoop (勺): picture a fishhook. 釣る is to fish and 釣り is fishing, a favorite pastime off Japan's piers, and the same word turns up at every register: the coins handed back are お釣り, your change.

Used in 釣り (tsuri, fishing), お釣り (otsuri, change), and 釣り合い (tsuriai, balance)

釣 means “fish (with a line), angle”

The story

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