金棒(かなぼう)

かなぼう
noun
iron rod; metal club
tool
1. iron rod; metal club; iron staff
A heavy bar or club made of iron or metal, used as a tool or weapon. In folklore it is the signature weapon of the 鬼(おに) (ogre), which is why it figures in the well-known idiom below.
鬼(おに)が金棒(かなぼう)を持(も)っている。
The ogre is holding an iron club.
重(おも)い金棒(かなぼう)を両手(りょうて)で振(ふ)り回(まわ)した。
He swung the heavy iron rod around with both hands.
経験(けいけん)豊富(ほうふ)な彼(かれ)が加(くわ)われば、鬼(おに)に金棒(かなぼう)だ。
With an experienced person like him joining, we'll be invincible.

A heavy iron bar or club. In modern Japanese it is encountered most often in the idiom below rather than as a literal weapon.

Common expressions

  • 鬼(おに)に金棒(かなぼう): lit. 'an iron club for an ogre' — making something already strong even stronger; an unbeatable combination
  • 金棒(かなぼう)を振(ふ)り回(まわ)す: to swing an iron club

Similar words

  • 棒(ぼう): rod; stick — the general word for a bar of any material
  • 鉄棒(てつぼう): iron bar; (gymnastics) horizontal bar — overlaps in literal sense but also names the playground/gymnastics apparatus

Related Words

Compare: 鉄棒(てつぼう) (iron bar)
general
Added 2026.6.16 6:19 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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