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Kotomora

緣

hem, margin, reason, cause, karma, fate

StatusJinmeiyō (variant)Strokes15

Readings

On'yomi

  • エン

Kun'yomi

  • ふち
  • へり
  • よる

Meaning

緣 centers on a connecting edge: a hem or margin that binds fabric, and by extension the ties of reason, cause, karma, or fate that link events together.

Study

Etymology

緣 combines 糸 (thread) with 彖, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of a decorative border or edge. The modern Japanese simplified form is 縁.

Meaning mnemonic

Thread 糸 runs along the edge of a garment, forming a hem. That hem is a boundary that connects the fabric, just as fate connects events.

Reading mnemonic

For エン, picture the hem of a garment ending in a neat line: end -> エン, and that edge ties everything together like karma.