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
- 慶 celebration
- 盆 Obon
- 凶 bad luck
- 宴 banquet
- 賓 honored guest
- 崇 revere
- 禍 calamity
- 厄 misfortune
- 詣 visit a shrine
- 吉 good luck
- 儀 ceremony
- 典 classic
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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.