刃

See also: 刄 and 刅

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

Translingual

Japanese	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 (Kangxi radical 18, 刀+1, 3 strokes, cangjie input 尸竹戈 (SHI), four-corner 1742₀, composition ⿹刀丿(G) or ⿹刀丶(HTKV) 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 Dictionary: page 136, character 2
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1850
• Dae Jaweon: page 304, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 320, character 3
• Unihan data for U+5203

• Unihan data for U+2F81E

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Chinese

trad.		刃
simp. #		刃

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 刃
Shang	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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／会意) : 刀 (“knife”) + 丶.

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 刃

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

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Japanese

Kanji

刃

(Jōyō kanji)

1. blade, edge
2. bladed object (knife, sword, etc.)
3. kill with a bladed object, put to the sword

Readings

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

Compounds

Compounds

• 刃傷(にんじょう) (ninjō)
• 凶刃(きょうじん), 兇刃(きょうじん) (kyōjin)
• 自刃(じじん) (jijin)
• 刀刃(とうじん) (tōjin)
• 毒刃(どくじん) (dokujin)
• 白刃(はくじん) (hakujin)
• 氷刃(ひょうじん) (hyōjin)
• 兵刃(へいじん) (heijin)
• 防刃(ぼうじん) (bōjin)
• 利刃(りじん) (rijin)

Alternative forms

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

• 刄

Etymology 1

/pa/ → /fa/ → /ha/

From Old Japanese.

Cognate with 歯 (ha, “tooth”). Possibly also related to 葉 (ha, “leaf”). Compare English blade.

Noun

刃(は) • (ha) 

1. an edge, blade

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 刃(は)毀(こぼ)れ (hakobore)
• 刃向(はむ)かう (hamukau)
• 刃(は)物(もの) (hamono)
• 刃(は)渡(わた)り (hawatari)
• 替(かえ)刃(ば), 替(か)え刃(ば) (kaeba)
• 片(かた)刃(ば) (kataba), 片(かた)刃(は) (kataha)
• 白(しら)刃(は) (shiraha)
• 直(すぐ)刃(は) (suguha)
• 円(まる)刃(ば), 丸(まる)刃(ば) (maruba)
• 乱(みだ)れ刃(ば) (midareba)
• 両(もろ)刃(は) (moroha)
• 諸(もろ)刃(は), 双(もろ)刃(は) (moroha)
• 焼(やき)刃(ば), 焼(や)き刃(ば) (yakiba)
  • 刃(やいば) (yaiba, “sword, blade”, see above)
• 両(りょう)刃(ば) (ryōba)

Etymology 2

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

/jaki pa/ → /jakiba/ → /jaĩba/ → /jaiba/

Shift from 焼き刃 (yakiba), a compound of 焼き (yaki, “burned, fired”) +‎ 刃 (ha, “edge, blade”, see above). The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Noun

刃(やいば) • (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

Derived terms

• 氷(こおり)の刃(やいば) (kōri no yaiba)
• 心(こころ)の刃(やいば) (kokoro no yaiba)
• 邪見(じゃけん)の刃(やいば) (jaken no yaiba)
• 情(なさ)けに刃向(はむ)かう刃(やいば)なし (nasake ni hamukau yaiba nashi)

Idioms

• 刃(やいば)に掛(か)かる (yaiba ni kakaru)
• 刃(やいば)に伏(ふ)す (yaiba ni fusu)
• 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 3

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.

Noun

刃(な) • (na) 

1. (obsolete) a blade, edge
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 4, poem 616:
     , text here

     劔(つるぎ)大刀(たち)名(なの)惜雲(をしけく)吾(もわれ)者(は)無(なし)君(きみ)尓(に)不相(あはず)而(て)年(とし)之経去礼者(のへぬれば) [Man'yōgana]

     剣(つるぎ)太刀(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 [Modern spelling]

     tsurugitachi na no oshikeku mo ware wa nashi kimi ni awazute 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 4

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

From Middle Chinese 刃 (MC nyinH).

Noun

刃(じん) • (jin) 

1. a blade, a sword

Idioms

• 刃(じん)に伏(ふ)す (jin ni fusu)
• 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

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Korean

Hanja

刃 (eum 인 (in))

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Vietnamese

Han character

刃: Hán Nôm readings: nhẫn, nhấn, nhận

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