The kanji 弦 (げん) primarily refers to a "bowstring" or "string," such as the string of a musical instrument or a bow used for archery. It conveys the idea of a stretched, taut line or cord. It can also extend to represent something that is stretched or curved in a similar manner.

・On-yomi (音読み): げん (gen) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): つる (tsuru)

⚫︎バイオリンの弦 Translation: Violin string ⚫︎弓の弦 Translation: Bowstring ⚫︎弦楽 Translation: Stringed instruments (e.g., in "弦楽四重奏" - string quartet)

The kanji 弦 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is the radical 弓 (ゆみ), meaning "bow." The right side is 玄 (げん), which is the phonetic component, indicating the sound. The combination suggests a string related to the bow, thus its meaning. The character evolved over time from earlier forms depicting a bow with a string attached.