iron nail; metal nail
Literal meaning: a nail made of metal, typically iron. Used in everyday contexts.
金釘を板に打ち込む。
I drive an iron nail into the board.
scrawl; scrawled writing
Abbreviation of 金釘流 (かなくぎりゅう), referring to messy, scratchy handwriting that resembles the marks of a nail. Used humorously or self-deprecatingly.
See also: 金釘流
彼の字はまるで金釘だ。
His handwriting is just like a scrawl.
「金釘流」を略して「金釘」と言うことがある。
Sometimes 金釘流 is abbreviated to 金釘.
scrawl; stiff, angular handwriting
Standard kanji spelling for both the literal nail and the abbreviation sense.
Compound of 金 (かな, metal) and 釘 (くぎ, nail). The abbreviation sense derives from 金釘流, likening messy writing to the scratchy marks left by a metal nail.