錘

A phono-semantic compound:

金 — semantic component, indicating metal, tools, hardness;

垂 — phonetic component, giving the sound chui / chu, and also reinforcing the visual idea of something hanging downward.

Thus, 錘 originally referred to a hanging metal weight, such as those used on balance scales, and later also to a striking metal tool.

철퇴 (鐵錘) — hammer

추락 (錘落) — hammer fall

추성 (錘聲) — sound of hammer

Although 錘 is not extremely common in early classical texts, its phonetic component 垂 appears frequently in the context of:

- hanging weights

- objects suspended from tools or scales

- actions involving downward force

This supports the original meaning of 錘 as a downward-hanging metal weight.

In many classical weighing devices (권량, 衡器), the weight hung from a vertical rod or beam:

垂之以錘 — “Let it hang with a weight.”

Common wording in technical descriptions from Han-era texts.

This shows that 錘 was specifically the counterweight used in measurement.

Later, the meaning extends to a striking weapon, the metal mace or 철퇴:

- heavy

- downward-falling

- crushing blow

This semantic extension parallels other characters like 椎 (“mallet, to strike”) and 杵 (“pestle”).

Japanese jōyō kanji removal:

錘 was one of the five characters removed during the 2010 revision of Japan’s official kanji list.

Although no longer standard, it remains in technical fields (physics, maritime, crafts).

Relationship to 垂 (“to hang down”):

垂 not only gives the sound but enhances the meaning: something elongated, vertical, heavy, pointing downward.

Therefore:

錘 — heavy metal object hanging or falling downward often used for: weights, plummets, hammers

Distinction from 槌 / 椎

錘 — metal weight or hammer, emphasis on metal and weight

槌 (추) — wooden or general hammer

椎 (추) — pestle; to beat, to strike