糸 means “thread, string”

いと · ito

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

いと

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

シ

Taught in grade 1 · 6 strokes

The story

Two twisted strands hanging from a spindle: 糸 is the beginning of all fabric. Japanese silk threads have woven kimonos for emperors and connected the country to the Silk Road. The character appears in dozens of textile kanji.

Used in 糸口 (itoguchi, clue/beginning) and as radical in 紙, 絵, 織

Words with 糸

• 絹糸 (きぬいと, kinuito): silk thread

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

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