束 means “bundle, bind”

そく · soku

Also: sheaf, ream, tie in bundles

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

たば, たばねる, つか, つかねる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ソク

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 4 · 7 strokes

The story

A tree (木) with a cord tied round its middle (口): the picture of a bundle of sticks. 束 binds: a 花束 is a bouquet, and 約束, a promise, ties two people to their word.

Used in 約束 (yakusoku, promise), 花束 (hanataba, bouquet), and 束ねる (tabaneru, to tie in a bundle)

More from Hands at Work

• 閉 close
• 折 fold
• 掛 hang
• 取 take
• 組 group
• 置 put
• 構 structure
• 付 attach
• 消 put out
• 配 distribute
• 除 remove
• 押 push

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