金かな槌づち

か

な

づ

ち

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

hammer

A metal hammer, typically used for driving nails or metalworking.

金かな槌づちで釘くぎを打うつ。
I drive a nail with a hammer.

2

noun

hopeless swimmer; person who can't swim

usually written using kana alone

Metaphorical use likening a poor swimmer to a sinking hammer; usually written in kana. Often used self-deprecatingly or humorously.

私わたしはかなづちだから、海うみには入はいらない。
I can't swim at all, so I don't go into the ocean.

Written forms

金かな槌づちUsage39%
Standard kanji spelling for both the tool and the metaphorical sense.
金かなづちUsage24%
Common variant with づち in kana; often used when the kanji 槌 is considered difficult.
カナヅチUsage22%
kana-only spelling
かなづちUsage15%
The metaphorical sense is usually written in kana.
鉄鎚かなづち
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 鉄 means iron and 鎚 is an alternative character for hammer.

Kanji

金gold
槌hammer, mallet
鉄iron
鎚

Similar words

ハンマー
Loanword from English, often used for larger or specialized hammers (e.g., sledgehammer, gavel). 金槌 is the native word for a standard metal hammer.
泳およげない
Plain statement 'cannot swim'; かなづち is a more colorful, metaphorical expression for a hopeless swimmer.

Etymology

Compound of 金 (kana, 'metal') and 槌 (tsuchi, 'hammer'), with rendaku voicing. The metaphorical sense comes from the image of a metal hammer sinking quickly in water.

hammer, mallet