shot; buckshot
Refers to small pellets fired from a shotgun or similar weapon; used in hunting, sport shooting, and military contexts.
The hunter loaded shot and aimed at the bird.
A license is required to possess a shotgun.
Standard kanji spelling; used in news and common contexts.
Rarely used kanji form; 霰 means 'hail' and suggests scattered pellets.
Compound of 散 (scatter) and 弾 (bullet/projectile), literally 'scattering projectile'. The reading is on'yomi.