1.
a fictional weapon that fires beams of light or energy; also, a light-emitting toy or arcade gun used for shooting games
A weapon — nearly always fictional — that fires concentrated beams of light, laser, or energy instead of bullets. 光線銃 is a staple prop of science fiction, anime, and tokusatsu (live-action hero) shows. The same word is also used in everyday Japanese for children's light-beam toy pistols and for the light guns used with home video game consoles and shooting-game arcade machines.
Compound of 光線 (light ray, beam) + 銃 (gun). A classic word from the early era of Japanese science fiction, now used both for fictional energy weapons and for real-world toys and arcade peripherals.
Common collocations
- 光線銃を撃つ: to fire a ray gun
- 光線銃を構える: to aim/level a ray gun
- おもちゃの光線銃: toy ray gun
- 光線銃型コントローラー: light-gun-style controller (for video games)
Usage
- Science fiction novels, anime, and movies — as a weapon used by aliens, space soldiers, or future humans
- Tokusatsu shows (Ultraman, Kamen Rider, etc.) — as a hero or villain's sidearm
- Children's toy guns that shoot a visible beam of light or an infrared signal
- Arcade light-gun games such as 銀河の三人 or the home-console classic ダックハント
Similar words
- レーザー銃: laser gun — more technical or modern-sounding; emphasizes that the beam is a laser.
- ビーム砲: beam cannon — a larger, mounted or vehicle-scale energy weapon, typically from anime and games.
- 電磁銃: railgun, electromagnetic gun — a different kind of sci-fi weapon that fires a projectile, not a beam.
- 銃: gun — the general word for any firearm.
Register
Neutral. Appears in both casual conversation about sci-fi and toys and in the written text of fiction and product catalogs.