手榴弾(しゅりゅうだん)

Composed of 手(しゅ) (hand) + 榴弾(りゅうだん) (shrapnel shell). A small explosive weapon designed to be thrown by hand. The word appears frequently in military history, news about unexploded ordnance, and war-themed media.

Common collocations

• 手榴弾(しゅりゅうだん)を投(な)げる: to throw a grenade
• 手榴弾(しゅりゅうだん)のピンを抜(ぬ)く: to pull the pin on a grenade
• 不発(ふはつ)手榴弾(しゅりゅうだん): unexploded grenade
• 手榴弾(しゅりゅうだん)が爆発(ばくはつ)する: a grenade explodes

Pronunciation

Sometimes also read as てりゅうだん, though しゅりゅうだん is the standard reading.

Similar words

• 榴弾(りゅうだん): shrapnel shell, fragmentation round — the larger artillery projectile
• 爆弾(ばくだん): bomb — a general term for explosive devices
• 地雷(じらい): landmine — an explosive buried in the ground