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Kotomora

弧

arc, arch, bow

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

  • コ

Kun'yomi

—

Meaning

弧 centers on a curved shape: an arc, an arch, or a bow. The common thread is a smooth, bent line.

Most common words using 弧

20 of 40
  • 優弧ゆうこ

    superior (major) arc

  • 括弧かっこ
    N2

    brackets; parentheses

  • 弧こ

    arc

  • 円弧えんこ

    arc

  • 弧状こじょう

    arc shape; crescent shape

  • アングル括弧アングルかっこ

    less-than mark; left angle bracket

  • カギ括弧かぎかっこ

    square brackets; Japanese-style quotation marks

  • 中括弧ちゅうかっこ

    curly braces; curly brackets

  • 丸括弧まるかっこ

    parentheses; round brackets

  • 亀甲括弧きっこうかっこ

    tortoiseshell bracket (punctuation mark)

  • 劣弧れっこ

    minor arc

  • 励弧れいこ

    excitation

  • 右中括弧みぎちゅうかっこ

    closing brace

  • 右大括弧みぎだいかっこ

    closing bracket

  • 右小括弧みぎしょうかっこ

    closing parenthesis

  • 大括弧だいかっこ

    square brackets

  • 小括弧しょうかっこ

    parentheses; parenthesis; (round) brackets

  • 山括弧やまがっこ

    angle bracket (punctuation); chevron

  • 島弧とうこ

    island arc; crescent-shaped archipelago

  • 左中括弧ひだりちゅうかっこ

    opening brace

Explore all words using 弧 →

Study

Etymology

弧 combines 弓 (bow) with 瓜, which likely contributes the sound. The character expresses the curved shape of a bow.

Meaning mnemonic

A bow 弓 beside a melon 瓜: imagine a curved melon slice shaped like an archer's bow, making an arc.

Reading mnemonic

For コ, picture a small child (子, こ) drawing an arc with a bow: 子 -> コ, and the bow makes the curved line.