Plastering Trowel Character

槾 names a tool for spreading mud or plaster on walls. The earliest clear dictionary entry is in the Eastern Han 《说文解字》, an early Chinese dictionary: it lists 槾 as the name used east of the passes and 杇 as the Qin-region name.

The character can name the trowel itself or refer to the work of plastering.

Why does 槾 have different uses across languages?

Its recorded use depends on the language. Chinese dictionaries give it the plastering-tool sense. Japanese dictionaries list it as an uncommon kanji read こて, the Japanese word for a plastering trowel. Vietnamese Chữ Nôm—a historical system for writing Vietnamese with Chinese-derived characters—records it for mận, meaning plum or wax apple.