1.
thumbtack; drawing pin; pushpin
A short pin with a flat, broad head used to fasten papers or posters to a board or wall.
画鋲でポスターを貼った。
I pinned up the poster with thumbtacks.
床に落ちていた画鋲を踏んでしまった。
I accidentally stepped on a thumbtack that had fallen on the floor.
掲示板に画鋲で連絡事項を留めてください。
Please pin the notices to the bulletin board with thumbtacks.
Combines 画 (picture/drawing) and 鋲 (tack/rivet). Originally used to pin drawings and documents, the name persists even though thumbtacks are now used for many purposes.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 画鋲で留める: fasten with a thumbtack
- 画鋲で貼る: pin up with thumbtacks
- 画鋲を刺す: stick in a thumbtack
- 画鋲を抜く: pull out a thumbtack
- 画鋲を踏む: step on a thumbtack
USAGE:
A common everyday word learned early in school life. Japanese classrooms typically use 画鋲 to attach items to cork bulletin boards (掲示板). The word is universally understood across Japan, though some regions may use the older reading 押しピン.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- ピン: pin — a more general loanword; can refer to various types of pins
- 押しピン: pushpin — dialectal variant (mainly Kansai region) for the same item