How to say "pointed" in Japanese

• 鋭いするどいJLPT N3approx.Common
  i-adjectiveChiefly 'sharp': the common word for knives, claws and the like that cut or prick. Choose it when English 'pointed' really means sharp-tipped rather than merely tapering in shape.
  そのナイフは刃はが鋭するどい。↗

  The knife has a very sharp edge.
• 尖ったとがった
  prenominal modifierThe most direct match for 'pointed' as a physical shape: an object that tapers to a sharp tip, such as a pointed stick or pencil. It describes the tapering form itself.
  きつつきは、長ながく尖とがったくちばしで、木きの幹みきをつついて、中なかにいる虫むしを食たべます。↗

  Woodpeckers peck tree trunks with their long pointed beaks and eat insects found there.
• 尖形せんけい
  no-adjectiveA noun naming a pointed shape rather than describing an object; its 'acuminate' sense ties it to technical description, so it is seldom the word you want for everyday 'pointed'.
• 針状はりじょう
  no-adjectiveReally 'needle-shaped': it describes something slender and pointed like a needle. Its 'pointed' sense is only that needle-like shape, so it is not a general word for pointed things.
• 鋭頭えいとう
  no-adjectiveA technical term for leaf shape: it names a leaf tip that is acute or acuminate, i.e. pointed. Outside that botanical use it is essentially never the word you want for 'pointed'.

Use 「尖った」 for things that taper to a point and 「鋭い」 for sharp knives or claws; 針状 means needle-shaped, while 尖形 and 鋭頭 are narrow shape terms, the latter confined to leaf description.

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

• 鋭いするどいsharp (knife, claws, etc.)
• 尖ったとがったpointed
• 尖形せんけいpointed
• 針状はりじょうneedle-shaped
• 鋭頭えいとうacute (of the shape of a leaf)