弾

音読おんよみ: ダン

訓読くんよみ: ひく・はずむ・たま

画数かくすう: 12

部首ぶしゅ: 弓（ゆみへん）

Meaning

Bullet / Shot / Bounce / Pluck

  • 弾たま — bullet / round / shell
  • 弾ひく — to play (a stringed instrument)
  • 弾はずむ — to spring / to bounce / to be lively
  • 弾力だんりょく — elasticity / springiness
  • 弾丸だんがん — bullet / shell / “express” (e.g. 弾丸ツアー = whirlwind trip)
  • 爆弾ばくだん — bomb / explosive

弾 uses the 弓 (bow) radical, tying it to shooting and force. The character carries the idea of launching something with tension and release. That’s why 弾 can mean a fired shot (弾丸), a plucked string (弾く), or something that bounces and springs back (弾む, 弾力). One core image: stored energy released in an instant.

力

弾力だんりょく — 弾 is spring / bounce. 力 is power. Together, 弾力 is “spring power,” or elasticity: the ability to bend and pop back, like rubber, skin, or even policy that can flex under pressure.

丸
Creates

弾丸だんがん — 弾 is shot / force. 丸 is round. Put together: a round you fire — a bullet. By extension, 弾丸ツアー means a “bullet tour,” a fast, hit-it-and-go whirlwind trip.

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