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**Edit** : This question has been reworded as much as possible from the
original to try to make it a question about Japanese. Also, adding the
IME単漢字辞書 fixed the IME problem (thanks to Tsuyoshi Ito for pointing that out).
Quote about 単漢字辞書: `Microsoft
IME単漢字辞書には、マクロソフトで読みが確認できたJIS第三・第四水準漢字が登録されています`. However, it looks like 鎗 is
part of JIS第一水準漢字, so I still don't understand that part.

If I [look in the dictionary](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch/0/0na/18615800/),
やり has three versions: 槍／鎗／鑓 (I understand they are not standard).

When I type やり, my windows IME shows me the following:

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/62w4S.png)

**Question**

Why is 鎗 not on the list? It seems 鎗 is considered to be different than 槍 and
鑓. What is special about the character 鎗?

**CLARIFICATION ON ENCODINGS AND IME DICTIONARIES**

MS IMEs 標準辞書 is based on jis x 0208 which includes JIS第1水準漢字 and JIS第2水準漢字. 鎗
is part of JIS第1水準 and this is why it comes out why you type そう with the
default dictionary on MS IME. 単漢字辞書 is a separate dictionary based on JIS X
0213 which includes 第3水準漢字 and 第4水準漢字, if you add it, it shows 鎗 in the 変換リスト
when you type やり. Now, why exactly this behavior occurs to me is a mystery
(perhaps its just a bug), but I know that other dictionaries for other non-
microsoft IMEs do not exhibit this behavior. I am assuming this is because
they include all characters in the BMP and do not divide things up according
to shift-jis taxonomy. Also, perhaps the dictionary implementors decided that
鎗 is 異体字, so they left it out.
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kanji
How is 鎗 different from 槍 and 鑓?
Get another IME. "鎗" was the _second_ choice of my suggestion list, 槍 being
the first one. I use "skk" via ibus for my IME. The reason it is not in your
list is that you assumed that your IME would be exhaustive, and I don't think
any IME would ever claim that.

As far as the difference is concerned, just looking at the radicals, I'd say
the difference is what the spear is made of: wood, iron, or something else.
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As Axioplase already mentions, if you look at the radicals, you can divide the
characters into two groups:

  1. 槍: Made of wood.

  2. 鎗／鑓: Made of metal.

Now, 鑓 is what is known as 国字 and did not originate from China. Also, in
current Chinese, 鎗 usually refers to a "rifle" or "gun" and not "spear"
(however, the meaning of spear is still present)
([Unicode](http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/9397/index.htm)
defines it as "rifle, small arms, hand gun" which is kind of amusing). In
Japanese, 槍 and 鎗 both mean spear (with the difference being the material it
is made from), however if you consider 鎗 as an 異体字, then is most common 槍.
Also, 鎗 also has the meaning of "container", etc. (see below) and you can see
it in words like [鎗金](http://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%8E%97%E9%87%91).

**References**

[【鎗/枪】ライフル](http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2131214811632309101/2132629349332010503)

[異体字の認定](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AD%97%E4%BD%93#.E7.95.B0.E4.BD.93.E5.AD.97.E3.81.AE.E8.AA.8D.E5.AE.9A)

[槍/鑓/鎗・・・ヤリ](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1416896054)

[鎗と槍の違い
使い分けを教えて下さい｡](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1433095409)

[From here](http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/kmr_tds/43633782.html):

> 鎗 ソウ やり
>
> 解字：形声。倉が音を表わし、金属のふれ合う音声を表わす。 字義：
>
> ①なべ。三本足があるなべ。 (Type of pot, one with 3 legs)
>
> ②やり。(spear)
>
> ③こう（金偏に堅）鎗は、金属や石のふれる音。 (Sound of metal, rocks hitting together)
>
> ④長鎗は、米の別名。 (長鎗 is another name for 米)
>
> ⑤酒を入れる器。(Container for 酒)
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