right-angled bend; hook-shaped turn
Refers to a sharp, right-angled bend, like a hook. Often used for roads, corridors, or architectural features that turn at a sharp angle.
This road bends at a right angle.
廊下の鉤の手を曲がると、すぐに部屋がある。
Turn at the right-angled bend in the corridor, and the room is right there.
Standard kanji spelling; 鉤 means 'hook' and 手 means 'hand', together describing a hook-like bend.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji 鉤 is considered difficult or obscure.
Compound of 鉤 (kagi, 'hook') + の (possessive particle) + 手 (te, 'hand'), literally 'hook's hand', referring to a shape like a hook or a bent hand. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used since at least the Edo period to describe sharp bends in roads and castle architecture.