1.
sickle; scythe
A curved-blade cutting tool used for harvesting crops, cutting grass, and other agricultural work. A fundamental farming implement in traditional Japanese agriculture.
鎌で草を刈る。
To cut grass with a sickle.
稲を鎌で刈り取る作業は重労働だ。
Harvesting rice with a sickle is heavy labor.
祖父の物置には古い鎌や鍬がまだ残っている。
In my grandfather's storage shed, old sickles and hoes still remain.
USAGE:
鎌 is a traditional farming tool still used in home gardens and small-scale agriculture. It also appears in many idiomatic expressions.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 鎌で刈る (to cut/harvest with a sickle)
- 草刈り鎌 (grass-cutting sickle)
- 鎌をかける (to try to trick someone into revealing something — an idiomatic expression)
RELATED WORDS:
鎌倉 (Kamakura) contains this character. Other farming tools include 鍬 (hoe) and 鋤 (plow).
DO NOT CONFUSE:
鎌 (sickle) uses a different kanji from 窯 (kiln) and 釜 (cooking pot/kettle), though all three are read かま.