1.
to spin (thread or yarn)
To draw out and twist fibers such as cotton, silk, or wool into thread or yarn.
糸を紡ぐ。
To spin thread.
綿から糸を紡いで布を織った。
I spun thread from cotton and wove cloth.
祖母は毎日糸車で糸を紡いでいた。
My grandmother used to spin thread on a spinning wheel every day.
2.
to weave, to craft (words, a story, connections)
To carefully put together words, stories, or relationships over time. A literary and poetic usage that evokes the image of spinning thread into something meaningful.
言葉を紡ぐ。
To weave words together.
二人は時間をかけて絆を紡いできた。
The two of them have woven their bond over time.
先人たちが紡いできた物語を次の世代に伝えたい。
I want to pass on the stories our predecessors have woven to the next generation.
GRAMMAR:
Godan verb (紡ぐ → 紡ぎます). Transitive.
USAGE:
Sense 2 has become very popular in modern Japanese, frequently appearing in book titles, song lyrics, and poetic prose. It conveys the idea of carefully and lovingly creating something over time, thread by thread.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 糸を紡ぐ: to spin thread
- 言葉を紡ぐ: to weave words
- 物語を紡ぐ: to weave a story
- 絆を紡ぐ: to build bonds
- 歴史を紡ぐ: to weave history