The kanji 縄 generally means "rope," "cord," or "string." It refers to a length of material, typically made of twisted fibers, used for tying, pulling, or hanging things. It implies a sense of connection, binding, or constraint.

・On-yomi (音読み): ジョウ (jō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): なわ (nawa)

⚫︎ 縄跳び (nawatobi) Translation: jump rope ⚫︎ 縄文時代 (jōmon jidai) Translation: Jōmon period (an ancient period in Japanese history) ⚫︎ 綱渡り (tsunawatari) Translation: tightrope walking

The kanji 縄 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). It is composed of two parts: The left radical is 糸 (ito), meaning "thread" or "silk", indicating the material. The right component is 虓 (kyō), which contributes to the sound and hints at the function, which in older forms, looks more akin to the shape of a rope. Together, they depict a rope made of threads.