Teppou is a Japanese word for ‘gun’, explained

What does “teppou” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use teppou to mean a ‘gun’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, video games, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I’m explaining this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’m explaining how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand teppou more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “teppou”
• Teppou in kanji
  • How to say “guns” in Japanese
  • Another example of “teppou”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “teppou”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of teppou.

• teppou – 鉄砲 (てっぽう) : a noun used to mean a ‘gun’ – more specifically an ‘old Japanese gun’ – in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Teppou in kanji

The kanji expression of teppou consists of the following two kanji characters:

• 鉄 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘iron’ in Japanese.
• 砲 : a kanji character often used to mean a ‘barrel’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that teppou literally means ‘iron barrels’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Old guns are often made of iron and have the part called barrel.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of teppou through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of teppou together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “guns” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after teppou to make the subject in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of abunai to emphasize its meaning.
• abunai – 危ない (あぶない) : an i-adjective meaning ‘dangerous’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of the Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after abunai to make it sound polite.
• yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle often used to state the fact or idea softly. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to state the fact in a soft way.

This is a typical usage of teppou. In this example, it works together with the binding particle, wa, to become the subject in the sentence.

Another example of “teppou”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tokorode – ところで : a conjunction meaning ‘by the way’ in Japanese.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after kanojo to make its plural form, kanojo tachi, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after teppou to make the object in the sentence.
• tsukaeru – 使える (つかえる) : a potential verb meaning ‘can use’ or ‘to be able to use’ in Japanese.

This is another example of teppou. In this example, it works together with the case particle, ga, to become the object in the sentence. Anyway, when we want to mean an ‘(old Japanese) gun’ or ‘(old Japanese) guns’ in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of teppou in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• teppou – 鉄砲 (てっぽう) : a noun used to mean a ‘gun’ – more specifically an ‘old Japanese gun’ – in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘iron barrels’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Old guns are often made of iron and have the part called barrel.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.