刀
刀 — Sword
sword, saber, knife
On’yomiトウ (tou)
Kun’yomiかたな (katana)
Kun’yomiそり (sori)
Stroke order (2 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 刀
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 刀 | かたな katana | sword (esp. Japanese single-edged); katana; scalpel |
| 剃刀 | かみそり kamisori | razor |
| 太刀打ち | たちうち tachiuchi | crossing swords; competing against; contending with |
| 宝刀 | ほうとう houtou | treasured sword |
| 日本刀 | にほんとう nihontou | Japanese sword (usu. single-edged and curved); Japanese bladed weapon |
| 刀剣 | とうけん touken | sword; dagger; knife |
Study notes
刀 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 2 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1794 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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