刃

刃 U+5203, 刃 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5203 ← 刂 [U+5202] CJK Unified Ideographs 刄 → [U+5204]

刃 U+2F81E, 刃 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-2F81E ← 凵 [U+2F81D] CJK Compatibility Ideographs Supplement 㓟 → [U+2F81F]

See also: 刄 and 刅

Translingual

Shinjitai	刃
Simplified	刃
Traditional	刃

Alternative forms

Note the compositional differences between traditional, simplified, and Japanese shinjitai in the placement of the additional stroke.

Han character

刃 (radical 18 刀+1, 3 strokes, cangjie input 尸竹戈 (SHI), four-corner 1742₀, composition ⿹刀丿(GKV) or ⿹刀丶(HT) or ⿻刀丶(J))

Derived characters

• 仞 㣼 訒 (讱) 扨 屻 紉 (纫) 韌 (韧) 杒 軔 (轫) 牣 肕 衂 籾 釰 靭 刅 岃 忍 歰 (涩)

References

• KangXi: page 136, character 2
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1850
• Dae Jaweon: page 304, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 320, character 3
• Unihan data for U+5203
• Unihan data for U+2F81E

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		刃

Etymology

Historical forms of the character 刃
Oracle bone script	Bamboo and silk script	Large seal script	Small seal script

Characters in the same phonetic series (刃) (Zhengzhang, 2003)
	Old Chinese
涊	*nɯːnʔ, *njɯnʔ
紉	*nɯn
忍	*njɯnʔ
荵	*njɯnʔ
刃	*njɯns
認	*njɯns, *njɯŋs
仞	*njɯns
軔	*njɯns
韌	*njɯns
肕	*njɯns
牣	*njɯns
杒	*njɯns
訒	*njɯns

Ideogrammic compound (會意): 刀 (“knife”) + 丶.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rèn (ren⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jan⁶
• Min Nan (POJ): līm / jīm / līn / jīn
• Wu (Wiktionary): zen (T3)

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
    • Pinyin: rèn
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˋ
    • Wade-Giles: jên⁴
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: renn
    • IPA ^(key): /ʐən⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: jan⁶
    • Yale: yahn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jan⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: yen⁶
    • IPA ^(key): /jɐn²²/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: līm
    • Tâi-lô: līm
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lim
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lim⁴¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /lim³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /lim²²/
  • (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jīm
    • Tâi-lô: jīm
    • Phofsit Daibuun: jim
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ʑim³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡ʑim²²/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: līn
    • Tâi-lô: līn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lin
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lin⁴¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /lin²²/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jīn
    • Tâi-lô: jīn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: jin
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡ʑin²²/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: zen (T3)
    • IPA ^(key): /z̻əɲ²³/

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• Middle Chinese: /ȵiɪn^H/▼

Rime
Character	刃
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	日 (38)
Final (韻)	眞 (43)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	而振切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ȵiɪnH/
Pan Wuyun	/ȵinH/
Shao Rongfen	/ȵʑjenH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ȵinH/
Li Rong	/ȵiĕnH/
Wang Li	/ȵʑĭĕnH/
Bernard Karlgren	/ȵʑi̯ĕnH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	rèn

• Old Chinese▼

  (Baxter-Sagart): /*nə[n]-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*njɯns/

Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	刃
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	rèn
Middle Chinese	‹ nyinH ›
Old Chinese	/*nə[n]-s/
English	edge of a blade
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter-Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	刃
Reading #	1/1
No.	10831
Phonetic component	刃
Rime group	文
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	刃
Old Chinese	/*njɯns/

Definitions

刃

1. blade; knife edge
2. sword; knife
3. ^† to kill with a sword or knife

Compounds

• 交光飛刃／交光飞刃
• 兵不血刃
• 兵刃 (bīngrèn)
• 兵無血刃／兵无血刃
• 刀刃 (dāorèn)
• 刃兒／刃儿
• 刃角
• 利刃
• 剚刃
• 劍刃／剑刃
• 合刃

• 嬋娟刃／婵娟刃
• 延頸待刃／延颈待刃
• 張弓拔刃／张弓拔刃
• 手刃
• 推刃
• 游刃有餘／游刃有余
• 白刃 (báirèn)
• 白刃戰／白刃战
• 目牛游刃
• 芒刃

• 芙蓉刃
• 血刃
• 袖刃
• 赴火蹈刃
• 軍不血刃／军不血刃
• 迎刃而解
• 遊刃有餘／游刃有余 (yóurènyǒuyú)
• 鋒刃／锋刃
• 開刃／开刃
• 餘刃／余刃

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Japanese

Kanji

刃

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Goon: にん (nin)
• Kan’on: じん (jin, Jōyō)
• Kun: きる (kiru, 刃る); は (ha, 刃, Jōyō); な (na, 刃); やいば (yaiba, 刃)
• Nanori: ち (chi); と (to)

Compounds

Compound words that contain 刃

• 刃 (にん)傷 (じょう) (ninjō)
• 刃 (にん)傷 (じょう)沙 (ざ)汰 (た) (ninjōzata)
• 刃 (は)向 (む)かう (hamukau)
• 刃 (は)渡 (わた)り (hawatari)
• 片 (かた)刃 (ば) (kataba), 片 (かた)刃 (は) (kataha)
• 直 (すぐ)刃 (は) (suguha)
• 白刃 (はくじん) (hakujin), 白 (しら)刃 (は) (shiraha)
• 諸 (もろ)刃 (は) (moroha), 双 (もろ)刃 (は) (moroha)
• 両 (りょう)刃 (ば) (ryōba), 両 (もろ)刃 (は) (moroha)
• 自 (じ)刃 (じん) (jijin)
• 刀刃 (とうじん) (tōjin)
• 毒刃 (どくじん) (dokujin)
• 白刃 (はくじん) (hakujin), 白 (しら)刃 (は) (shiraha)
• 氷 (ひょう)刃 (じん) (hyōjin)
• 兵刃 (へいじん) (heijin)
• 防刃 (ぼうじん) (bōjin)
• 利 (り)刃 (じん) (rijin)
• 凶 (きょう)刃 (じん) (kyōjin), 兇 (きょう)刃 (じん) (kyōjin)
• 白 (はく)刃 (じん)一 (いっ)閃 (せん) (hakujin'issen)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
刃
な Grade: S
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese. Possibly cognate with Korean 날 (nal, “blade”).

Obsolete in modern Japanese. Only found as an element in compounds.

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • IPA^(key): [na̠]

Noun

刃 (hiragana な, rōmaji na)

1. (obsolete) a blade, an edge
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 4, poem 616)

     劔大刀 名惜雲 吾者無 君尓不相而 年之経去礼者

     剣太刀 (つるぎたち)名 (な)の惜 (を)しけくも我 (わ)れはなし君 (きみ)に逢 (あ)はずて年 (とし)の経 (へ)ぬれば

     tsurugitachi na no oshikeku mo ware wa nashi kimi ni ahazute toshi no henureba

     I do not even miss precious you, given the years that have passed without meeting with you.

     [Note: tsurugi tachi (“sword”) is a pillow word establishing a poetic association with the following na, literally meaning blade or edge and alluding to sharpness and importance. This na could also elliptically mean name (名 na) or even you (汝 na), depending on context, based on the homophonic readings.]

Derived terms

• 刀 (かたな) (katana)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
刃
は Grade: S
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese, cognate with 歯 (ha, “tooth”).

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) は​ [háꜜ] (Atamadaka - [1])
  • IPA^(key): [ha̠]

Noun

刃 (hiragana は, rōmaji ha)

1. an edge, a blade

Derived terms

• 刃 (yaiba): a sword, a blade, particularly one that has been forged: see below

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
刃
やいば Grade: S
kun'yomi

Originally a compound of 焼き (yaki, “burned, fired”) +‎ 刃 (ha, “edge, blade”). The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

/jaki/ + /ha/ → /jakiba/ → /jaiba/

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) や​いば [yáꜜìbà] (Atamadaka - [1])
  • (Tokyo) やいば [yàíbá] (Heiban - [0])
  • IPA^(key): [ja̠iba̠]

Noun

刃 (hiragana やいば, rōmaji yaiba)

1. a forged blade, such as a sword
2. the wavy pattern formed in the metal on the surface of a forged blade
3. a sword or similar edged weapon
4. something sharp like a sword
5. someone or something powerful

Idioms

Idioms

• 刃 (やいば)は切 (き)れるが重宝 (ちょうほう) (yaiba wa kireru ga chōhō): “for a blade, cutting [sharpness] is precious” → the highest value of a tool is its ability to do what it is designed for

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
刃
じん Grade: S
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 刃 (nyin^H, “edge of a blade”).

Pronunciation

• On’yomi: Kan’on
  • (Tokyo) じ​ん [jíꜜǹ] (Atamadaka - [1])
  • IPA^(key): [d͡ʑĩɴ]

Noun

刃 (hiragana じん, rōmaji jin)

1. a blade, a sword

Idioms

Idioms

• 刃 (じん)を迎 (むか)えて解 (と)く (jin o mukaete toku): “to fall before the blade” → a metaphor for extreme strength or power

References

• Satake, Akihiro; Hideo Yamada; Rikio Kudō; Masao Ōtani; Yoshiyuki Yamazaki (c. 759) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 1: Man’yōshū 1 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, ISBN 978-4-00-240001-3, published 1999.

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Korean

Hanja

刃 • (in) (hangeul 인, revised in, McCune-Reischauer in)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

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Vietnamese

Han character

刃 (nhẫn, nhấn, nhận)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.