also: とかり
He suddenly turned his criticism toward his boss.
The soldier readied a long spear.
An old spear and shield were displayed on the wall.
Only with reading ほこ
A broader use meaning weapons or armed force, often felt in set or literary expressions such as 矛を収める, 'to lay down arms.'
The king laid down arms and made peace with the neighboring country.
The two armies clashed at the border.
grip of a bow
Only with reading ほこ
Rare technical use for the part of a bow that is held. Modern readers are more likely to need this for recognition in specialist or older archery-related descriptions.
In old archery explanations, the part of the bow that is gripped may be called hoko.
spear-decorated parade float
Only with reading ほこ
Abbreviation of 矛山車, a festival float decorated with long-handled spears or spear-like ornaments. In festival contexts the spelling 鉾 is also very natural.
See also: 矛山車
At the Gion Festival, ornate spear-decorated floats parade through the streets.
槍 is the everyday modern word for a spear, while 矛 evokes an older, more historical or literary weapon, especially one associated with ancient China.
武器 is the general, neutral word for any weapon, whereas 矛 in this broader sense appears mainly in set literary phrases meaning 'arms' or 'armed force.'
山車 is the general word for a festival float of any kind, while 矛 (as an abbreviation of 矛山車) names specifically a float decorated with spear-like ornaments.
Used for 矛 (spears) as long, slender weapons.
The high-priority spelling and the standard written form for ほこ.
A practical variant for the weapon sense and especially common-looking in festival-float names and contexts.
Rare historical spelling for a polearm-like weapon; not the normal spelling for learners to use.
Rare spelling connected with an ancient polearm; 戟 is more commonly read げき in Sino-Japanese contexts.
Rare attested spelling for the weapon sense; 鋒 is often encountered with other readings and meanings such as a blade point.
Attested alternate reading restricted to 鋒; mainly useful for recognizing rare or historical text.
Rare variant spelling; included for lookup rather than recommended everyday use.
Attested as a ほこ spelling, but 槍 is normally read やり and means spear in ordinary modern Japanese.
ほこ is a native Japanese word for a spear or polearm; the exact historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji spellings 矛, 鉾, 戈, 戟, and related variants are conventionally associated with spear-like or ancient weapons rather than proving a single historical origin.
bronze hoko; bronze halberd; bronze spearhead