刀 — sword / blade

Grade 2とう, かたな

Radical ⼑ · radical 18 The building block this kanji is filed under

刀 (readings: とう, かたな; Japanese kanji) means “sword / blade”. It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 日本刀 (Japanese sword).

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What does 刀 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	刀
Meaning	sword / blade
Readings	とう, かたな
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	日本刀 (Japanese sword)

How to read 刀

刀 is read とう or かたな depending on the word.

Words with 刀

日本刀kiếm Nhật

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Updated: 2026-08-09