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Words Kanji Guides About

拳こぶし

こ

ぶ

し

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

Refers to a closed hand, often in the context of fighting, striking, or making a determined gesture.

彼かれは怒いかりで拳こぶしを握にぎりしめた。
He clenched his fist in anger.
ボクサーは試し合あい前まえに拳こぶしを合あわせた。
The boxers touched fists before the match.

Written forms

拳こぶしUsage76%
Standard kanji spelling.
こぶしUsage24%
Kana spelling is common in informal writing or when the kanji is not needed.

Kanji

拳fist

Similar words

握にぎり拳こぶし
Specifically a clenched fist, emphasizing the action of gripping, while 拳 is the general term for fist.
拳げん骨こつ
Colloquial term for fist, often used in the context of a punch or knuckle, more informal than 拳.

Etymology

The kanji 拳 is a phono-semantic compound with 手 (hand) and a phonetic component, originally meaning 'fist'. The reading こぶし is a native Japanese word of uncertain origin, possibly related to 小節 (small joint/knuckle).