How to say "cannon" in Japanese

• 砲ほうCommon
  noun, noun (suffix)Covers 'gun; cannon; artillery; ordnance', but as a standalone noun it reads as technical or military terminology. You will most often encounter it inside established gun-related vocabulary rather than saying it by itself for a cannon.
• 大砲たいほうCommon
  nounThe ordinary word for a cannon or large gun — a big, shell-firing weapon. Use this when talking about cannons in general, in history, war, or everyday description; it is the default choice most learners want.
  大砲たいほうが偶然ぐうぜん発射はっしゃしてしまった。↗

  The cannon went off by accident.
• 火砲かほうCommon
  nounA military-technical term covering large guns, artillery, and cannon collectively. It suits formal discussions of weaponry and artillery systems; for a single cannon in ordinary speech, 大砲 is usually the word you want.

For 'cannon' as a weapon, 大砲 is the everyday word; 砲 is chiefly a technical or combining term for guns and artillery; 火砲 is a military term for large guns and artillery.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 砲ほうgun
• 大砲たいほう(large) gun
• 火砲かほう(large) gun
• カノンcannon
• 大筒おおづつcannon
• キャノンcannon
• カノン砲カノンほうcannon (esp. high-velocity artillery)
• キャノン砲キャノンほうcannon (esp. high-velocity artillery)
• キャロムcarom (billiards)
• 筒つつgun
• キャノンCannon