壺
Meanings
A container with a narrow opening, used for liquids, food, or decoration.
An old vase is displayed at my grandmother's house.
I'm making plum wine in this jar.
dice cup
A cup used to shake and throw dice, especially in traditional games.
The gambler shook the dice cup and rolled the dice.
A hollow or basin-shaped natural feature, especially at the base of a waterfall. Often used in compounds like 滝壺.
See also: 滝壺
The water in the waterfall basin was very cold.
Figurative use: what one is aiming for, the crucial part of a matter, or the heart of a conversation. Often appears in phrases like 思うつぼ (just as one planned) and つぼにはまる (hit the mark).
See also: 思う壺
His joke hit the mark and everyone burst out laughing.
That's exactly what the opponent wanted.
acupuncture point; pressure point
A specific point on the body used in acupuncture, moxibustion, or shiatsu. Often written in katakana as ツボ.
Pressing the pressure point on my shoulder feels good.
position on the fingerboard
On a shamisen, koto, or similar instrument, a marked position where a string is pressed to produce a specific pitch. Often written as ツボ.
It's difficult to press the shamisen's fingerboard positions accurately.
Archaic term for a target in archery. Not used in modern Japanese outside historical contexts.
In old documents, the target for a bow is sometimes written as 壺.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉を壺に入れるto put something into a jar/pot
My mother preserves pickled plums by putting them in a jar.
- 〈場所〉のつぼを押すto press an acupressure point on a part of the body
Pressing the pressure point on the shoulder eases the pain.
- 〈事〉のつぼを押さえるto grasp the key point of something
He's good at explaining things by grasping the key points.
- 壺を割るto break a pot/jar
The child accidentally broke the jar.