noun
chain; chains
Refers to a physical chain made of metal links, or metaphorically to a series or connection.
自転車を鎖で柵につないだ。
I chained my bicycle to the fence.
このネックレスは細い鎖でできている。
This necklace is made of a fine chain.
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
Rarely used kanji form.
Rarely used kanji form.
Loanword from English, often used for bicycle chains, store chains, or metaphorical chains in modern contexts, while 鎖 is the native Japanese word for physical chains and can carry a more traditional or literary nuance.
Native Japanese word. The kanji 鎖 is a phono-semantic compound with 金 (metal) and a phonetic component, conventionally used for 'chain'.