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火手 (かしゅ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

火か手しゅ

か

しゅ

Meanings

1

noun

stoker; fireman

Refers to a person who tends a fire, especially on a steam locomotive or in a boiler room. The term is somewhat dated in modern contexts.

蒸じょう気き機き関かん車しゃには火か手しゅが必ひつ要ようだった。
A steam locomotive required a stoker.

Kanji

火fire
手hand

Similar words

機き関かん士し
機関士 is a broader term for an engineer or operator of machinery, while 火手 specifically refers to the person managing the fire.

Etymology

Compound of 火 (fire) and 手 (hand, person), literally 'fire-hand'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of a person who handles fire.