刀 — “sword / blade” in Japanese

Grade 2とう, かたな

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

“sword / blade” in Japanese is 刀, read tou, katana (とう, かたな). 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).

Try it now

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 tou (とう) or katana (かたな) depending on the word.

Words with 刀

日本刀

Learn 刀 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 刀

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

⚔️ 日本の会社が作った新しいアニメ Grade 2

Updated: 2026-08-28