爪 means “nail, claw”

つめ · tsume

Also: talon

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

つめ, つま-

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ソウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 4 strokes

The story

A hand reaching down, fingertips first: the old picture of a grasping claw. 爪 is a nail or claw, 爪切り are nail clippers, 爪先 are your tiptoes, and the 爪痕 of a typhoon is the damage it leaves behind.

Used in 爪 (tsume, nail/claw), 爪切り (tsumekiri, nail clippers), and 爪先 (tsumasaki, tiptoe)

More from Head to Toe

• 瞳 pupil (of the eye)
• 眉 eyebrow
• 股 crotch
• 肢 limb
• 膝 knee
• 喉 throat
• 肘 elbow
• 咽 throat
• 顎 jaw
• 頰 cheek
• 脚 leg
• 眼 eye

Learn 爪 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.