絆
きずな
kizuna
= a deep emotional bond between people
絆 names the invisible cord that ties people together, the deep, enduring bond between family, friends, teammates, or a whole community that holds even when everything else is shaken.
絆 means a strong emotional bond or tie between people. It points to relationships built on trust, loyalty, and shared experience, the connection between parent and child, lifelong friends, or comrades who have been through hardship together. It is a warm, weighty word, reserved for meaningful ties rather than casual acquaintance, and it carries a sense of permanence and mutual support.
Use 絆 for genuinely deep, lasting bonds, not for a new or shallow acquaintance, where 仲 (relationship, terms) fits better. It often appears with verbs like 深める (to deepen) or 結ぶ (to form), as in 絆を深める. Because the word is emotionally heavy and slightly literary, it lands with real force, so save it for relationships that truly merit it.
The single character 絆 combines the thread radical 糸 on the left with 半 (half) on the right. Strikingly, its original meaning was the rope or tether used to tie up an animal, a literal physical bond. Over time the word shifted from that restraining cord to the cherished emotional ties between people, keeping the image of being firmly connected.
Everyday use
苦しい時期を一緒に乗り越えて、家族の絆がより深まった。
Kurushii jiki wo issho ni norikoete, kazoku no kizuna ga yori fukamatta.
Getting through the hard times together deepened our family’s bond.
Casual / Social Media
離れて暮らしてても、親友との絆は変わらないって信じてる。
Hanarete kurashitetemo, shinyuu to no kizuna wa kawaranai tte shinjiteru.
Even living apart, I believe the bond with my best friend won’t change.
Formal / Cultural context
災害を経て、地域住民の間には強い絆が生まれた。
Saigai wo hete, chiiki juumin no aida ni wa tsuyoi kizuna ga umareta.
Through the disaster, a strong bond was born among the local residents.
絆 rose to special prominence in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, when it was chosen as a word symbolizing the year and appeared everywhere as a rallying idea. In the face of catastrophe, it expressed the bonds of mutual aid and solidarity that held communities together, and it became a national keyword for support and recovery, lending the term a powerful collective resonance.
Beyond moments of crisis, 絆 reflects a deep cultural valuing of enduring, reciprocal relationships. The fact that its kanji once meant a tether is fitting: a true bond is felt as something binding, a commitment you do not simply walk away from. For learners, 絆 offers a glimpse into how Japanese honors loyalty and connection as things to be actively nurtured and protected.