spear

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 矛 has 5 strokes and means a spear.
• Basic usage: 矛 is read ほこ, and 矛盾 is read むじゅん.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A spear and a contradiction
  • 木で作った矛 means a spear made of wood.
  • The 矛 in 矛盾 is read む.
  • 前後で矛盾がある means the earlier and later parts contradict each other.