KanjiJLPT N3
Thong

thong, beginning, inception, end, cord, strap, mental or emotional state

Mnemonic

Grandma gives the scholar a leather thong to bind his first manuscripts. "Every journey starts with a single cord," she whispers. Years later, the scholar still keeps that thong — the thread that began everything.
Additional thoughts
Picture an old grandmother tying a worn leather cord around a young scholar's first bundle of papers. The thong is both the physical binding and the symbolic beginning of his entire academic journey. Cord + beginning = one image.
Quick recall
Grandma gives the scholar a thong cord — the thread that started everything.

Details

The keyword for 緒 is thong. This kanji refers to a cord, string, or strap used for tying or binding, much like a thong that fastens something together. By extension, it also carries the meaning of a beginning or a clue, as in the starting thread that leads to unraveling something larger. It is frequently encountered in words relating to emotions, origins, or the initial point of an endeavor.
On'yomi
しょ、ちょ
Kun'yomi
お、いとぐち