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Kotomora

砲

cannon, gun

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes10

Readings

On'yomi

  • ホウ

Kun'yomi

—

Nanori

  • づつ

Meaning

砲 centers on large projectile weapons: cannons and guns. It refers to artillery pieces that launch heavy shot.

Most common words using 砲

20 of 136
  • 砲ほう

    gun; cannon; artillery; ordnance

  • 発砲はっぽう

    firing; discharge of gun

  • 大砲たいほう
    N1

    (large) gun; cannon; artillery

  • 砲撃ほうげき

    bombarding; shelling; bombardment

  • 鉄砲てっぽう
    N2

    gun; firearm

  • 砲火ほうか

    gunfire; fire

  • 主砲しゅほう

    main battery; main armament

  • 砲塔ほうとう

    gun turret

  • 砲弾ほうだん

    shell; cannonball

  • 砲台ほうだい

    (gun) battery; fort

  • 水鉄砲みずでっぽう

    water pistol; squirt gun; water gun

  • 砲兵ほうへい

    artillery; gunner

  • 空砲くうほう

    empty gun; gun loaded with blanks; firing a blank

  • 無鉄砲むてっぽう

    rash; reckless; headlong; foolhardy

  • 巨砲きょほう

    huge gun

  • 砲身ほうしん

    gun barrel

  • 鉄砲玉てっぽうだま

    gunshot; bullet

  • 砲手ほうしゅ

    gunner

  • 銃砲じゅうほう

    guns; firearms

  • 鉄砲水てっぽうみず

    flash flood

Explore all words using 砲 →

Study

Etymology

砲 combines 石 (stone) with 包, which likely contributes the sound. Historically, early cannons used stone projectiles, so the stone radical fits the weapon meaning.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side is stone 石, and the right side 包 looks like a wrapped bundle. Imagine a cannon wrapped around a stone ball, ready to fire.

Reading mnemonic

For ホウ, picture a cannon firing with a loud 'hou!' sound: the boom echoes ホウ as the stone ball flies out.