矛 — “Halberd / Arms / Festival Float” in Japanese

Master (高手)む, ぼう, ほこ

Radical ⽭ · radical 110 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Halberd / Arms / Festival Float” in Japanese is 矛, read mu, bou, hoko (む, ぼう, ほこ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 矛盾 (contradiction).

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What does 矛 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	矛
Meaning	Halberd / Arms / Festival Float
Readings	む, ぼう, ほこ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	矛盾 (contradiction)

How to read 矛

矛 is read mu (む) or bou (ぼう) or hoko (ほこ) depending on the word.

Words with 矛

矛盾

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Kanji read the same way as 矛

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28