Meaning & readings

angling, fish, catch, allure, ensnare

On’yomi チョウ
Kun’yomi つ.る、つ.り、つ.り-
Nanori つり

Origin

This character combines the metal radical () on the left, which classifies it as a tool or object made of metal, with a sound component (勺) on the right that hints at the pronunciation. The metal part makes sense because fishing hooks and other angling equipment are traditionally made of metal. Together, these components create a character that refers to the metal implements and act of fishing—casting a line to catch or allure fish. The sound component doesn't contribute meaning here; it simply helps indicate how the character should be pronounced.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).

11 strokes

Components

  • radical left
  • sound hint right

A sound hint component points at the character’s pronunciation, not its meaning — don’t read a meaning into it.

Common words

  • 釣り つり fishing; angling
  • 釣る つる to fish; to angle
  • お釣り おつり change (for a purchase)
  • 釣り銭 つりせん change (for a purchase)
  • 釣り針 つりばり fish hook
  • 釣り堀 つりぼり fish pond (artificially stocked); fishing pond
  • 釣り合う つりあう to balance; to be in harmony
  • 釣り合い つりあい balance; equilibrium

Reference

Strokes
11
Kangxi radical
167
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
#1542 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+091E3