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Components

爪 means 'claw'

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Strokes : 4    Radical number: 87    Frequency: 1796   JLPT: N1    Usefulness: 5    Study set: 5-32    Grade: 8   Intermediate lesson: -    Beginner lesson: -   Begins 41 words   Used in 63 words   Used in 127 names   Component in 29 kanji (3 Jōyō)
Jōyō (常用)
Common readings
Kun
   つめ   つま- claw; fingernail
Additional readings
On    ソウ
Variants
⺥   ⺤   爫   㕚  
Notes
爪 is more common as a component than on its own, usually in the form ⺤ (claw). In mnemonics we often use it a verb, ie 'to claw (in)'.
A Joy o' Kanji essay is available for 爪 - click the badge to download
Delving into the 爪 kanji introduces you to rich idiomatic expressions about a wide range of things: following in people's footsteps, not showing off, preparing to defeat opponents, saving money (sometimes to extremes), and bearing scars after traumas. This new addition to the Joyo set is a prevalent radical that's useful to know, but the variants can be hard to recognize unless you've learned what they are.
View in the essay collection    All Joy o' Kanji essays  
Essay 2071 on 爪 (nail, claw; "claw" radical) covers this prevalent shape, which serves as the on-duty radical in 爵 (baron) and as a component in 菜 (vegetable), to name just two examples of places you wouldn't expect to see claws!
See also
瓜 melon  
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Most useful words by reading
In the most useful 10,000 words in Japanese, 爪 is used 2 times, read 2 ways.
Across all words in Japanese, 爪 is used 62 times, read 3 ways (with 1 variation).
Showing:
ソウ : 5 words FIND ALL
そ う が 1
noun
1. claws and fangs; claws and tusks
2. clutches; devious design; means of causing harm; weapon
(click the word to view an additional 2 meanings, examples and links)
つめ : 31 words FIND ALL
つ め 0
noun
1. nail (e.g. fingernail, toenail); claw; talon; hoof
2. plectrum; pick
(click the word to view an additional 1 meaning, useful expressions, examples and links)
つま- (read as つま) : 15 words FIND ALL
つ ま よ う じ 3
noun
toothpick
(click the word to view an additional 2 forms, examples and links)
つめ (read as づめ) : 11 words FIND ALL
ひ ら づ め 0
noun
nail (e.g. fingernail, toenail)  (see also: 鉤爪)
(click the word to view an additional 1 form, examples and links)
An additional 瓜 less common words include 爪 but the reading has not yet been categorized.
Quick links
QUICK SEARCH WORD SEARCH KANJI SEARCH COMPONENT SEARCH Find kanji that refer to 爪
More information
Wiktionary ⇗ | Unicode.org ⇗ | Google Japan ⇗ | Hanziyuan etymology ⇗
Additional data
Henshall: -  Joy o' Kanji : 2071  Key to Kanji: - 

Cascading kanji view

爪
つめ    つま- claw; fingernail   
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