金槌

かなづち · kanaduchi · JLPT N1 · noun

hammer

金槌 — hammer

🔨 金 (metal) + 槌 (hammer) = a metal hammer, the word for hammer

金 means gold or metal, and 槌 means mallet or hammer. Together they form the compound 金槌, a hammer made of metal. The kana かなづち spell out the same word.

金 — roof 亼 + two dots (metal nuggets) + earth 土
Originally a pictograph of metal nuggets buried in the earth beneath a covering, with the two dots representing pieces of ore. It first meant 'metal' broadly, then narrowed to 'gold' as the most precious metal, and by extension 'money'.

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