noun
handcuffs; hand shackles
Physical restraints for the hands, used in historical or penal contexts. Modern Japanese more commonly uses 手錠 (てじょう) for handcuffs.
囚人は手枷をはめられて護送された。
The prisoner was escorted with hand shackles on.
noun
restrictions; restraints
Figurative use for something that binds or limits freedom, like a metaphorical shackle. Often used in literary or formal contexts.
古い慣習が改革の手枷となっている。
Old customs have become shackles on reform.
Mixed kana spelling that avoids the uncommon kanji 枷.
Rare kanji form; 桎 is an uncommon character for shackles.
Rare kanji form; also read しゅかい in some contexts.
Single-character form; very rare and literary.
Compound of 手 (て, 'hand') and 枷 (かせ, 'shackles'). The reading てがせ is a voiced variant. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used since classical Japanese.