The Meaning of musubitsukeru [結び付ける] In Japanese

結び付ける
むすびつける
Romaji: musubitsukeru N3

What does 結び付ける mean?

Translation and Meaning

to bind, to connect, to link, to associate

Definition

What does 結び付ける mean? It means to connect or link something physically or conceptually, or to establish a relationship between elements; it covers tying objects as well as forming a relation between ideas or factors.

Type

verb (動詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • 1) physical binding: tying or fastening two objects or materials
  • 2) conceptual linking: establishing a relationship between ideas, factors, or events
  • 3) data or relational linking: mapping or associating entities in a system or dataset

Etymology

結び付ける is formed from 結ぶ and 付ける, where the first conveys binding and the second attaching, combining to express linking on both physical and abstract levels. The reading is derived from concatenating musubi- with tsukeru to yield musubitsukeru.

Composition

  • 結ぶ: to tie or bind; the core action of bringing ends together
  • 付ける: to attach or apply; adds the sense of attaching a relation
  • 結び付ける: the combined verb meaning to connect or relate both physically and conceptually

Usage

Used in formal and informal contexts to describe linking physically or conceptually; common in discussions of relationships, causality, and data relations; in IT or business, it denotes establishing connections between systems, records, or processes. In everyday speech it can describe tying knots or fastening items.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: picture two separate strings being tied and then a tag being attached, which mirrors musubi (binding) plus tsuke (attach), helping recall that 結び付ける means to connect or relate.

Variations

  • 結ぶ (musubu) — to tie, bind
  • 関連付ける (kanren tsukeru) — to relate, connect
  • 結びつく (musubitsuku) — to become bound or linked
  • リンクする (rinku suru) — to link (loanword)

Example Phrases

  • 私は日常の体験を丁寧に仕事の知識と結び付ける。
    Watashi wa nichijou no taiken o teinei ni shigoto no chishiki to musubitsukeru.
    I carefully connect everyday experiences to work knowledge.
    Lista:
    • 私は (Watashi wa) – I
    • 日常の体験を (nichijou no taiken o) – everyday experiences
    • 丁寧に (teinei ni) – carefully
    • 仕事の知識と (shigoto no chishiki to) – to work knowledge
    • 結び付ける (musubitsukeru) – connect
    The verb 「結び付ける」 means ‘to link or connect’; here it’s used transitively with を and と to relate 日常の体験 to 仕事の知識.
結び付ける