Kanji Detail for 爪 - "nail, claw, protect"

爪

Jōyō Kanji

Meaning
爪 means "nail, claw, protect."
1. Nail - Fingernails and toenails; claw-shaped objects.
2. To scratch - To scrape with nails.
3. Plectrum - A pick worn on the finger for playing koto.
4. Protector - A metaphor for someone who guards and protects.
5. To trim nails - To cut one's nails.
Dictionary Citations
The meaning above is based on the following sources:

KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

claw; nail; talon

Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

claw, nail, talon; animal feet

CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

foot of a bird or animal; paw; claws; talons

Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

claws, nails, talons

XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

Nails of hands and feet. Birds and beasts use claws to augment their ferocity, hence often speaking of claws. As in 龍爪 (dragon claw), 虎爪 (tiger claw). | 爪牙 (claws and fangs). Refers to guards and protectors. Seen in (Book of Odes).
Onyomi

soh(そう)
Kunyomi

tsuma(つま)

tsume(つめ)
Strokes

4 strokes
Radical

爪爫 (tsume・tsumekammuri・tsumegashira・sonyo・notsu)
Related Keywords
nail claw talon fingernail scratch grip hold protect guard defense plectrum koto sharp pointed grasp clutch hook music protector