noun
flat nail; nail (fingernail or toenail)
Refers to a flat nail, as opposed to a curved claw (鉤爪). Used for human fingernails and toenails, or for animals with flat nails.
See also: 鉤爪
人間の爪は平爪で、鉤爪ではない。
Human nails are flat nails, not claws.
この動物は平爪を持っているので、木に登るのが苦手だ。
This animal has flat nails, so it is not good at climbing trees.
鉤爪 refers to a curved claw, like those of cats or birds of prey, while 平爪 is a flat nail.
Compound of 平 (flat) and 爪 (nail). The reading ひらづめ is a straightforward combination of the kun'yomi readings of the two kanji.