Japanese word

手

Pronunciation

Romajite

Meaning

  • nounhand

Example

手を上げます。te o a ge ma su

I raise my hand.

Illustration for 手 (hand)

More examples

毎日手を洗います。mai nichi te o ara i ma su

I wash my hands every day.

けがをした手に薬を塗ります。ke ga o shi ta te ni kusuri o nu ri ma su

I put medicine on my injured hand.

Core concept

手 (te) covers the limb from the shoulder to the fingertips, with context deciding whether English calls it an arm or a hand.

Common phrases

  • 手を洗うte o ara u

    wash one's hands

  • 手を振るte o fu ru

    wave one's hand

  • 手を上げるte o a ge ru

    raise one's hand

  • 手を貸すte o ka su

    lend a hand

  • 手で書くte de ka ku

    write by hand

Similar words

腕ude: The part of the upper limb that extends from the shoulder to the wrist.

Definition in Japanese

肩から先の、物を持ったり触れたりするために使う身体の部分。kata ka ra saki no mono o mo tta ri fu re ta ri su ru ta me ni tsuka u karada no bu bun

Word origin

The native Japanese word 手 (te, "hand") is attested in Old Japanese and is written with the Chinese character 手, which originally represented the same body part.

Usage tips

  • Japanese often uses 手 (te) where English uses either hand or arm, especially when the exact boundary between them is not important.

Other meanings

  • armnoun

Word lists with this word