爪

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 爪 (つめ) is a noun for the hard keratin at the ends of human digits or an animal’s claws.
• Basic usage: 爪の間の土 identifies dirt between a person’s nails, while 猫の爪が伸びる makes the cat’s claws the subject that have grown long.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Human nail and animal claw
  • 爪の間 concerns a human nail after gardening, while 猫の爪 denotes an animal claw. The English rendering therefore changes between “nail” and “claw” with the referent.