Japanese word

爪

Pronunciation

Romajitsume

Meaning

  • nounnail

Example

私は爪を短く切ります。watashi wa tsume o mijika ku ki ri ma su

I cut my nails short.

Illustration for 爪 (nail)

More examples

この爪は割れやすいので、強く押さないでください。ko no tsume wa wa re ya su i no de tsuyo ku o sa na i de ku da sa i

This nail breaks easily, so please do not press hard on it.

Core concept

It refers to the hard growth at the tip of a human or animal digit, whether it protects the finger or serves as a claw.

Common phrases

  • 爪を伸ばすtsume o no ba su

    grow one's nails

  • 爪を磨くtsume o miga ku

    polish one's nails

Definition in Japanese

人や動物の指先や足先の先端を覆う硬い部分。hito ya dō butsu no yubi saki ya ashi saki no sen tan o ō u kata i bu bun

Word origin

爪 (tsume) is a native Japanese word, not a borrowing from another language. The kanji 爪 was adopted to write this inherited word because it means "nail" or "claw".

Usage tips

  • Japanese uses 爪 (tsume, "nail" or "claw") for both a person's nail and an animal's claw, while English usually distinguishes nail from claw.

Other meanings

  • clawnoun

Word lists with this word