noun
A traditional L-shaped ruler used in carpentry and woodworking to mark right angles and straight lines. Also referred to as 矩尺 (かねじゃく).
See also: 矩尺
大工は矩を使って柱が直角かどうか確かめた。
The carpenter used a carpenter's square to check whether the pillar was at a right angle.
noun
upside-down mirrored L-shape (in traditional shop logos)
A specific graphic symbol shaped like ┐, often combined with another character in traditional merchant emblems. Frequently written in katakana as カネ in this context.
この老舗の看板には、屋号とカネのマークが描かれている。
On the signboard of this long-established shop, the shop name and the カネ mark are drawn.
noun
perpendicularity; straightness; model; standard
Archaic abstract meanings derived from the carpenter's square as a symbol of correctness. Rarely used in modern Japanese outside of historical or literary contexts.
古い文献では、「矩」が正しさの基準を表すことがある。
In old documents, 矩 can represent a standard of correctness.
Means 'right angle' in general geometry. 矩 refers specifically to the tool or the traditional symbol, not the abstract geometric concept.
The kanji 矩 originally depicts a carpenter's square. The reading かね is a native Japanese word for a right-angled ruler, possibly related to 金 (かね, metal) due to the material, but the exact derivation is uncertain.