inked marking string; snap line
A carpenter's tool: a string coated with ink, pulled taut and snapped to leave a straight line on wood or other materials. Also used figuratively for a guideline or standard.
The carpenter used an inked marking string to draw a straight line on the lumber.
In this project, we must follow the safety standards as our guideline.
Standard kanji spelling for the carpenter's inked marking string.
Kana spelling, useful when the kanji are not needed or for learners.
Variant using 繩 (kyūjitai of 縄). Less common in modern writing.
Compound of 墨 (sumi, 'ink') and 縄 (nawa, 'rope, cord'). The word directly describes the tool: an ink-soaked cord.