鍬
hoe with long blade at acute angle
Readings
On'yomi
- ショウ
- シュウ
Kun'yomi
- くわ
- すき
Meaning
鍬 centers on a specific farming tool: a hoe with a long blade set at an acute angle, used for digging or tilling soil.
Most common words using 鍬
- 鍬形くわがた
hoe-shaped helmet crest
- 鍬くわ
hoe
- 大鍬形おおくわがた
giant stag beetle (Dorcus hopei)
- 小鍬形こくわがた
Dorcus rectus (species of stag beetle)
- 木鍬こくわ
wooden hoe
- 深山鍬形みやまくわがた
Miyama stag beetle (Lucanus maculifemoratus)
- 鋤鍬すきくわ
farming implement
- 鋸鍬形のこぎりくわがた
sawtooth stag beetle (Prosopocoilus inclinatus); saw stag beetle
- 鍬入れくわいれ
breaking ground; ground-breaking (ceremony)
- 鍬初めくわはじめ
New Year's ceremony in which a hoe is used to break ground in a field lying in a lucky direction
- 鍬形草くわがたそう
Veronica miqueliana (species of speedwell)
- 鍬形虫くわがたむし
stag beetle
- 馬鍬まぐわ
harrow; rake
Study
Etymology
鍬 combines the metal radical 金 with the phonetic component 秋 (シュウ), suggesting a metal tool whose name is related to the sound 秋. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the phono-semantic structure is typical for tool names.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 金 (metal) and the right side 秋 (autumn) together suggest a metal tool used in autumn for turning the soil: a hoe with a long, angled blade.
Reading mnemonic
For ショウ, imagine a farmer showing off his new hoe: show -> ショウ, and the metal blade gleams in the autumn field.