掌（てのひら、tenohira）
- palm

The Japanese word 掌 (てのひら, *tenohira*) primarily refers to the palm of the hand. It's the inner surface of your hand, specifically the area between your wrist and your fingers. It can also be used figuratively to describe something that is manageable or within one's control.

⚫︎彼女は掌を私に見せた。 Translation: She showed me her palm. ⚫︎彼は彼の成功を自分の掌の中に握っている。 Translation: He holds his success in his hands (under his control). ⚫︎その問題は私の掌の上にある。 Translation: That problem is in my hands (I am in control of it).

You use 掌 when you're talking about the palm of a hand or when you want to express control or management over something. It is a relatively common word, but it's more often used in written language or in slightly formal speech. In everyday conversation, you might simply say 手 (*te*), which means "hand," if the specific part isn't important. When speaking about a specific part of the hand, like the palm, 掌 would be an appropriate choice.

The word is most commonly written with the kanji 掌. The reading is てのひら (*tenohira*) in hiragana. There are no other common ways to write this word or variations in the okurigana.

There aren't many direct synonyms for the palm itself. For the concept of control, you could use words like: ⚫︎支配 (*shihai*) - control, domination ⚫︎管理 (*kanri*) - management, administration For the hand itself, 手 (*te*) is the most general synonym.

There are no specific antonyms. Antonyms depend on the context of the word: If used to describe the hand, antonyms would relate to losing control, such as: ⚫︎解放 (*kaihou*) - liberation Or words describing actions, such as: ⚫︎失う (*ushinau*) - to lose

彼女は彼の掌の中に小さな種を置いた。 ・Translation: She placed a small seed in his palm. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 掌 in its literal meaning, describing the physical space of the palm.

その会社は彼の掌の上にある。 ・Translation: That company is in his hands. ・Explanation: This sentence utilizes the figurative meaning of 掌 to indicate that he controls the company.

The kanji 掌 is composed of two parts: 手 (*te*), meaning "hand," and a phonetic component. The word has been used in Japanese for a very long time, evolving from the meaning of "hand" to specifically describing the palm.