弦 — Bowstring / Chord / Hypotenuse

Master (高手)げん, つる

Radical ⼸ · radical 57 The building block this kanji is filed under

弦 (readings: げん, つる; Japanese kanji) means “Bowstring / Chord / Hypotenuse”. It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 弦楽器 (string instrument).

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What does 弦 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	弦
Meaning	Bowstring / Chord / Hypotenuse
Readings	げん, つる
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	弦楽器 (string instrument)

How to read 弦

弦 is read げん or つる depending on the word.

Words with 弦

弦楽器nhạc cụ dây

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Updated: 2026-07-22