Translation guide
The English word 'mace' can refer to a spiked medieval weapon, a spice, or a ceremonial staff. This guide helps learners express each meaning naturally in Japanese.
A heavy club with a spiked metal head, used in medieval combat.
The reddish outer covering of nutmeg, used as a spice.
The standard loanword for the spice. Used in cooking contexts.
A decorated staff carried as a symbol of authority in ceremonies.
The standard term for a ceremonial mace or staff of office, used in academic or governmental contexts.
The weapon is メイス (meisu), while the spice is メース (meesu). They are distinct loanwords with different vowel lengths. Using the wrong one can cause confusion.
Mace (meisu) is a weapon, and mace (meesu) is a spice.
The knight swung his mace.
A general term for a club or cudgel, often used for blunt weapons. Can describe a mace but is less specific.
He struck the enemy with a club.
A traditional Japanese iron club, sometimes spiked or studded, similar to a mace. Often appears in folklore and historical settings.
An oni with an iron club. (proverb meaning 'invincible')
このカレーにはメースが入っています。
This curry contains mace.
Literally 'nutmeg skin', a descriptive term. Less common but clear in culinary contexts.
The mace (nutmeg skin) is dried and used as a spice.
The university president carried the mace at the ceremony.
The loanword can also refer to a ceremonial mace, especially in Western contexts, but 職杖 is more precise.
The parliamentary mace is a symbol of authority.