縁 means “bond, fate, edge”

えん · en

Also: affinity, relation, connection

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
ふち, ふちどる, ゆかり, よすが, へり
On'yomi (Chinese reading)
エン, -ネン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 15 strokes

The story

Thread (糸) that ties people together: Japan's red thread of fate. Shrine visitors often toss in a five-yen coin, 五円, because it sounds like ご縁, a good bond; 縁起がいい means lucky, and 縁 is also an edge, as in the 縁側 veranda.

Used in 縁 (en, fate/bond), 縁起 (engi, omen/luck), and 縁側 (engawa, veranda)

More from Rites & Omens

Learn 縁 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.