Linking and succession with 連
連 means “to line up” (to continue or be connected) or “to accompany” (to act together). It depicts the appearance of people or objects connected without interruption, or a situation in which events occur in succession.
Etymology
This kanji is an ideogrammic compound comprised of 辶 (movement) and 車 (vehicle), giving an image of movement joined with a carriage.
Communication
連絡 (Contact)
連絡 means contacting someone or passing along information. It can also mean a connection between things.
It combines 連 (link) with 絡 (entwine) to show information or people connected together.
Satsuki leaves Sara, the young girl she’s watching, alone to go heat up lunch. When she returns with the food, Sara is nowhere to be found. Satsuki calls her sister to let her know what’s happened.
- 皐:
- 「それが… ちょっと目を離した隙に…」
- “The thing is, I took my eyes off her for a just a minute...”
- 「これから警察に連絡して探しに出るから…」
- “I'm going to call the police, then I'm heading out to look for her...”
Continuity
連続 (Continuation)
連続 means a sequence or continuation without interruption.
It combines 連 (link) with 続 (continue) to show things linked in unbroken sequence.
With the new school year, Takeo and Sunakawa are in the same class again. Takeo tells his girlfriend, Yamato, about it.
- 大和:
- 「えー １４年連続同じクラスなんだー！！」
- “Wow, you've been in the same class together for 14 years in a row!!”
連休 (Consecutive holidays)
連休 means two or more consecutive days off.
It combines 連 (successive) with 休 (rest) to show rest days linked together.
Takeo and his friends board the train bound for the amusement park, MM Land.
- 凛子:
- 「すっごい人だね。みんなＭＭランド行くのかな」
- “There's a lot of people here. I wonder if everyone's going to MM Land.”
- 隼人:
- 「連休だから混むよねー」
- “It's a long holiday, so it'll be crowded.”
- 愛:
- 「入場制限とかなんないといーけど」
- “I hope they don't restrict admission or anything.”