How to say "handgun" in Japanese

• 拳銃けんじゅうCommon
  nounThe common, neutral word covering the general sense of 'handgun' or 'pistol'; it is the default choice in news reports, police statements, and everyday conversation.
  その男おとこは腰こしに拳銃けんじゅうをさげていた。↗

  The man wore a gun on his hip.
• 短筒たんづつ
  nounA historical term for a pistol; it is seldom the word you want for an everyday handgun, and is really at home in discussions of firearms from earlier eras.
• チャカ
  nounA slang term for a pistol; use it only in casual, informal speech, and avoid it in neutral or formal writing, where 拳銃 is the natural choice.
  関わり合かかわりあいになったら、ドスどころかチャカが出でてきそうだ。↗

  Mess with them, and they won't just pull shivs on you; they're probably packing heat.

Choose 拳銃, the common word, for a handgun in neutral contexts; 短筒 is a historical term for handguns of earlier eras, and 「チャカ」 is slang best kept to casual speech.

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

• 拳銃けんじゅうpistol
• 短筒たんづつpistol
• ちゃかpistol