also: ついこつ · つちぼね
malleus; hammer (ear bone)
Anatomical term for the hammer-shaped bone in the middle ear. Used in medical and biological contexts.
The malleus is one of the auditory ossicles and transmits vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear.
Standard kanji spelling for the malleus bone. The reading つちこつ is the most common.
Alternate reading, less common than つちこつ.
Rare reading using the kun'yomi of 骨. May be encountered in older or colloquial medical contexts.
From 槌 (つち, 'hammer') + 骨 (こつ, 'bone'), referring to the hammer-like shape of the malleus.