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KanjiGrade 2 › 刀
Kyōiku Kanji

刀 — sword / blade

Grade 2とう, かたな

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).

What does 刀 mean?

Kanji
Meaningsword / blade
Readingsとう, かたな
GradeGrade 2 (Easy)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 刀

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

Example words with 刀

Example日本刀 (Japanese sword)
Practice writing 刀 — free
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Updated: 2026-07-14