Kizuna is the Japanese word for ‘bond’, explained

What does “kizuna” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “kizuna” often to mean ‘bond’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometime used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji character. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “kizuna” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “kizuna”
• What does “kizuna” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “ties” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “kizuna”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “kizuna”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kizuna”.

• kizuna – 絆 (きずな) : a noun meaning ‘bond’, ‘tie’, or ‘link’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to a strong relationship or relationships in Japanese. So, this can work in more or less the same way as the English nouns written above.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji character in detail.

What does “kizuna” literally mean in Japanese?

The kanji character of “kizuna” consists of the following two parts:

• 糸 : a kanji character used to mean ‘thread’ in Japanese.
• 半 : a kanji character used to mean ‘half’ in Japanese.

These two parts tell us that the formed noun literally means ‘thread tying halves’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Bonds, ties, and links can be considered as thread tying people.

When we meet new kanji characters, we should check their parts in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji parts tell us a lot about the meanings of the characters they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “kizuna” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kizuna” together with its kanji character. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “ties” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kazoku – 家族 (かぞく) : a noun meaning ‘family’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “kazoku” and “kizuna”. The formed phrase literally means ‘family ties’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kazoku no kizuna” to make the subject in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of “tsuyoi” to emphasize its meaning.
• tsuyoi – 強い (つよい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘strong’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “kizuna”. In the example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “kazoku no kizuna”, which means ‘family ties’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “kizuna”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kanojo tachi” to make its possessive case, “kanojo tachi no”, which means ‘their’ in Japanese.
• utsukushii – 美しい (うつくしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “kizuna”. In this example, it works together with the possessive case, “kanojo tachi no”, to mean ‘their bonds’ in Japanese. When we want to refer to a strong relationship or relationships in Japanese, anyway, “kizuna” is always a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kizuna” in detail based on its kanji character. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kizuna – 絆 (きずな) : a noun meaning ‘bond’, ‘tie’, or ‘link’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. The left part of this kanji character means ‘thread’ in Japanese and the right part means ‘halves’. So, this kanji character can literally mean ‘thread tying halves’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Bonds, ties, and links can be considered as thread tying people. When we want to refer to a strong relationship or relationships in Japanese, this noun is always a very good option.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.