How to say "pistol" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe katakana loanword and the most direct match for 'pistol': a short firearm held and fired with one hand. The natural choice in news stories, crime fiction, or any talk of the weapon itself.
- 拳銃けんじゅうnounThe general word for a handgun, written with characters meaning 'fist gun.' It covers pistols and revolvers alike, so it suits neutral contexts such as gun laws, crime reports, or police work.その男は腰に拳銃をさげていた。↗The man wore a gun on his hip.
- nounA colloquial word for a gun or pistol, usually written in kana. It belongs to casual speech rather than neutral writing, so for most purposes ピストル or 拳銃 is the safer choice.
- 短銃たんじゅうnounLiterally a 'short gun': a pistol, named for its short barrel. In practice it amounts to another word for 拳銃, and ピストル or 拳銃 remains the more predictable choice when translating 'pistol.'
Use 「ピストル」 for the weapon itself, 拳銃 when you mean a handgun generally, including revolvers, 「はじき」 only in casual speech, and 短銃 as a literal 'short gun' synonym of 拳銃.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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