糾
twist, ask, investigate, verify
Readings
On'yomi
- キュウ
Kun'yomi
- ただ.す
Meaning
糾 centers on the idea of twisting or entangling, which extends naturally to the abstract sense of investigating or verifying by untangling facts or questioning closely.
Most common words using 糾
- 糾弾きゅうだん
censure; denunciation; (verbal) attack; blaming
- 紛糾ふんきゅう
complication; confusion; disorder; chaos; dispute; conflict; trouble; quarrel
- 糾合きゅうごう
rally; muster
- 禍福は糾える縄のごとしかふくはあざなえるなわのごとし
fortune and misfortune are intertwined; fortune and misfortune come by turns; good luck and bad luck alternate (like the strands of a rope); good and bad fortune are next-door neighbours
- 糾うあざなう
to twist strands (e.g. into rope); to twist rope
- 糾問きゅうもん
inquiry; enquiry
- 糾明きゅうめい
searching examination; establishing the facts through thorough examination
- 罪状糾明ざいじょうきゅうめい
closely examining (questioning) the concrete circumstances of a crime
Study
Etymology
糾 combines 糸 (thread) with 丩, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of twisting or entangling. The original sense is threads twisted together, from which the abstract meanings of investigating or verifying developed.
Meaning mnemonic
Thread 糸 twisted around a hook-like shape 丩: imagine tangled threads that need to be carefully untwisted and examined to verify what's caught inside.
Reading mnemonic
For キュウ, picture a detective carefully untwisting a tangled clue and exclaiming 'Q!' as in 'cue'—the sound 'Q' (キュー) matches キュウ, and the investigation reveals the truth.