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杖

つえ

cane; walking stick; staff

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 祖父は杖をついて歩く。

    そふはつえをついてあるく。

    My grandfather walks with a cane.

  2. 杖は彼に何の役にも立たなかった。

    つえはかれになんのやくにもたたなかった。

    The stick was no help to him at all.

  3. 転ばぬ先の杖という諺がある。

    ころばぬさきのつえということわざがある。

    There is a proverb: a stick before you stumble.

Common patterns

杖をつく
to walk with a cane
杖にすがる
to lean on a stick
転ばぬ先の杖
an ounce of prevention

Memory tip

The verb is 杖をつく (plant it), not 杖を使う. 転ばぬ先の杖 — "a cane before you fall" — is the everyday proverb for taking precautions.

Kanji in this word

  • 杖Not in the N5–N1 kanji lists

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does 杖 mean?