The kanji 棒 primarily means "pole," "rod," "stick," or "bar." It refers to something long, thin, and often cylindrical, typically made of wood or metal. It implies a solid, elongated object that can be used for various purposes.

・On-yomi (音読み): ボウ (bō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ぼう (bō)

⚫︎ 金棒 Translation: Metal bar; ingot ⚫︎ 警官が犯人を棒で殴った。 Translation: The police officer hit the criminal with a stick. ⚫︎ 長い棒でボールを打つ。 Translation: To hit the ball with a long stick.

The kanji 棒 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). It combines the radical 木 (ki, meaning "tree" or "wood") with the phonetic component 奉 (hō, meaning "to offer" or "to hold"). The combination suggests a wooden object that is used for something, thus the meaning "stick" or "pole." The phonetic component 奉 provides a sound clue (bō) to the kanji's reading. The character's visual representation has evolved over time, but the core elements remain consistent.