矛 — Halberd / Arms / Festival Float

Master (高手)む, ぼう, ほこ

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

矛 (readings: む, ぼう, ほこ; Japanese kanji) means “Halberd / Arms / Festival Float”. 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 む or ぼう or ほこ depending on the word.

Words with 矛

矛盾mâu thuẫn

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Updated: 2026-07-22