Translation guide
The English word 'anvil' refers to a heavy iron block used in metalworking. In Japanese, the most common equivalent is 金床 (かなとこ). This guide covers the literal tool, metaphorical uses, and related expressions.
Referring to the heavy iron block on which metal is hammered and shaped.
The standard Japanese word for a blacksmith's anvil. Composed of (metal) and (bed/floor).
The blacksmith is hammering iron on the anvil.
Literally 'iron bed', a less common synonym for anvil. Sometimes used in technical contexts.
An old anvil is placed in the corner of the workshop.
Referring to the small anvil-shaped bone in the middle ear.
Using 'anvil' figuratively to describe a person or thing that withstands pressure or hardship.
Means 'like an anvil', used metaphorically to describe someone or something sturdy and resilient.
He has the patience of an anvil.
Literally 'like a lump of iron', conveying a sense of being heavy, solid, and unyielding. Not specific to anvils but similar in meaning.
Expressing a situation where one is caught between two opposing forces, similar to 'between the hammer and the anvil'.
Means 'to be caught between two sides', like being sandwiched between boards. Equivalent to 'between a rock and a hard place' or 'between the hammer and the anvil'.
I'm caught between my boss and my subordinates and don't know what to do.
A more formal expression meaning 'to be in a dilemma where one can neither advance nor retreat'. Similar to being between the hammer and the anvil.
The English idiom 'between the hammer and the anvil' does not translate directly into Japanese. Use 板挟みになる or 進退両難に陥る instead. A literal translation like ハンマーと金床の間 would not be understood.
砧骨は中耳にある小さな骨だ。
The incus is a small bone in the middle ear.
His determination is as solid as an anvil.
He found himself between the hammer and the anvil.