Translation guide
The English word 'pincers' can refer to a gripping tool, the claws of certain animals, or a military maneuver. This guide covers how to express these meanings naturally in Japanese.
A tool with two handles and two jaws used for gripping, pulling, or cutting.
The most common word for pliers or pincers in everyday Japanese. Covers a wide range of gripping tools.
ペンチで針金を切った。
I cut the wire with pincers.
Traditional Japanese pincers, often used by blacksmiths or in crafts. Less common in modern contexts.
鍛冶屋がやっとこで熱した鉄をつかむ。
The blacksmith grips the heated iron with pincers.
Loanword from English 'pliers'. Often used for specific types like combination pliers or needle-nose pliers.
このプライヤーは先が細い。
These pincers have a narrow tip.
The large front claws of crustaceans or arachnids used for grasping.
The standard word for claws of crabs, lobsters, scorpions, etc. Also means scissors.
カニのはさみはとても強い。
A crab's pincers are very strong.
ロブスターのはさみにはさまれないように気をつけて。
Be careful not to get pinched by the lobster's pincers.
Biological term for chelicerae, the pincer-like mouthparts of arachnids. Very technical.
クモの鋏角には毒腺がある。
The spider's chelicerae have venom glands.
A tactic where forces attack both flanks of an enemy simultaneously.
Standard military term for a pincer attack or double envelopment.
敵軍は挟撃されて壊滅した。
The enemy army was destroyed by a pincer movement.
Literally 'scissors attack', a more colloquial term for a pincer movement.
挟み撃ちの作戦で敵を包囲した。
We surrounded the enemy with a pincer strategy.