A sliding bar or bolt used to fasten a door or gate from the inside; a traditional Japanese door lock.
夜は玄関のかんぬきをかける。
At night, I slide the bolt on the front door.
古い蔵の扉には大きなかんぬきが付いていた。
The old storehouse door had a large bar latch.
double-arm lock
Sumo term: a hold in which the wrestler locks both of the opponent's arms.
彼はかんぬきで相手を土俵に押し出した。
He forced his opponent out of the ring with a double-arm lock.
cinching; tightening a rope
Rare, specialized use: the act of cinching or tightening a rope, often in traditional contexts.
荷物を縛る最後のかんぬきが甘いと、運ぶ途中でほどける。
If the final cinching of the rope is loose, the load will come undone during transport.
ロック is a modern loanword for any kind of lock, including electronic ones, whereas かんぬき is a traditional wooden or metal bar.
bar tack; reinforcing stitch across a seam
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 閂 and 貫木 are rare and mainly encountered in historical or technical contexts.
Rare kanji form; not commonly used in modern writing.
Rare kanji form; not commonly used in modern writing.
The exact derivation is uncertain. The word is native Japanese, and the kanji 閂 is a kokuji (Japanese-created character) combining 門 (gate) and 一 (one/bar), representing a bar across a gate.