束ねる

• Reading: たばねる
• Romaji: tabaneru
• Kanji breakdown: 束 (soku/taba) — bundle, sheaf, manage
• Pronunciation: /ta.ba.ne.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To bundle; to tie up together; to gather into a bunch. Also means to lead or manage a group.

A Group 2 (ichidan) transitive verb with both physical and figurative meanings. Physically, it means to tie things together into a bundle — hair, papers, flowers, or straw. Figuratively, it means to bring people together under one leadership, to unite or organise a group. Both meanings are common at N2 level.

Examples

1. 髪をゴムで束ねてポニーテールにした。 I tied my hair up with a rubber band into a ponytail.
2. チームを束ねるのはリーダーの役割だ。 It's the leader's role to bring the team together.
3. 新聞を束ねて資源ごみに出した。 I bundled up the newspapers and put them out for recycling.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, leadership, organisation

Tone: practical

Origin & History

From the kanji 束 (bundle, sheaf), which is a pictograph of sticks tied together with a cord around the middle. The verb form means to perform that action of binding together.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal