剣

See also: 劍 and 剑

Translingual

Traditional	劍
Shinjitai	剣
Simplified	剑

Glyph origin

Unorthodox variant of 劍.

Han character

剣 (Kangxi radical 18, 刀+8, 10 strokes, cangjie input 人人中弓 (OOLN) or 難人人中弓 (XOOLN), composition ⿰㑒刂)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 141, character 41
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 2076
• Dae Jaweon: page 321, character 13
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 345, character 4
• Unihan data for U+5263

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Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 剣 – see 劍 (“sword; sabre; etc.”). (This character is a variant form of 劍).

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Japanese

Shinjitai	剣
Kyūjitai	劍

Kanji

剣

(common “Jōyō” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 劍)

1. double-edged sword
2. swordsmanship

Readings

• Go-on: こん (kon)^{←こん (kon, historical)←こむ (komu, ancient)}
• Kan-on: けん (ken, Jōyō)^{←けん (ken, historical)←けむ (kemu, ancient)}
• Kun: つるぎ (tsurugi, 剣, Jōyō)^{←つるぎ (turugi, 剣, historical)←つるき (turuki, 剣, ancient)}
• Nanori: あきら (akira); つとむ (tsutomu); はや (haya); まやか (mayaka)

Compounds

• 利(り)剣(けん) (riken)
• 剣橋(ケンブリッジ) (Kenburijji)

Alternative forms

剣: A ken or tsurugi with 鞘 (saya, “scabbard”).

Kanji in this term
剣
けん Grade: S
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
劍 (kyūjitai)

• 劔, 劒

Etymology 1

/kem/ → /kemʉ/ → /keɴ/

From Middle Chinese 劍 (MC kjaemH).

Compare modern Mandarin 劍／剑 (jiàn).

Noun

1. a sword, especially one with a double-edged blade
2. swordsmanship

   Synonym: 剣術 (kenjutsu)

3. a bayonet

   Synonym: 銃剣 (jūken)

4. (entomology) a stinger
5. (entomology) an ovipositor
6. a 家紋 (kamon, “family crest”), with varying designs of double-edged blades

Usage notes

This term refers to swords in general.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 剣(けん)客(かく) (kenkaku), 剣(けん)客(きゃく) (kenkyaku, “swordsman, fencer”)
• 剣(けん)豪(ごう) (kengō, “master fencer, great swordsman”)
• 剣(けん)山(ざん) (kenzan)
• 剣(けん)士(し) (kenshi, “swordsman, fencer”)
• 剣(けん)術(じゅつ) (kenjutsu, “techniques of swordsmanship”)
• 剣(けん)槍(そう), 剣(けん)鎗(そう) (kensō)
• 剣(けん)道(どう) (kendō): kendo, the Japanese martial art of the sword
• 剣(けん)難(なん) (kennan)
  • 剣(けん)呑(のん) (kennon)
• 剣(けん)舞(ぶ) (kenbu)
• 懐(かい)剣(けん) (kaiken)
• 撃(げき)剣(けん) (gekiken), 撃(げっ)剣(けん) (gekken)
• 三(さん)尺(じゃく)の剣(けん) (sanjaku no ken)
• 真(しん)剣(けん) (shinken)
• 聖(せい)剣(けん) (seiken, “holy or sanctified blade or sword”)
• 短(たん)剣(けん) (tanken)
• 月(つき)の剣(けん) (tsuki no ken)
• 刀(とう)剣(けん) (tōken)
• 十(と)束(つか)の剣(けん) (totsuka no ken)
• 木(ぼっ)剣(けん) (bokken, “wooden sword”)
• 名(めい)剣(けん) (meiken)

Idioms

• 剣(けん)を売(う)り牛(うし)を買(か)う (ken o uri ushi o kau)

Proverbs

• 剣(けん)は一人(いちにん)の敵(てき)学(まな)ぶに足(た)らず (ken wa ichinin no teki manabu ni tarazu)
• 剣(けん)を落(お)として舟(ふね)を刻(きざ)む (ken o otoshite fune o kizamu)

Proper noun

剣(けん) • (Ken) 

1. a male given name

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
剣
つるぎ Grade: S
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
劍 (kyūjitai)

⟨turuki₁⟩ → */turukʲi/ → /t͡suruɡi/

Shift from Old Japanese tsuruki, itself of unknown derivation.

A surface analysis suggests that this might be a compound of 釣る, 吊る (tsuru, “to hang, as at one's side”) + ki, but there is no clear etymon for the ki portion. One possibility would be 牙 (“fang”), read as kiba in modern (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Japanese but also appearing as ki in (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Japanese contexts. Such usage might parallel the combined tooth and blade meanings of the term ha, spelled more specifically as 歯 (“tooth”) and 刃 (“blade”), with these two senses listed as cognates in Japanese dictionaries.

More tentative suggestions have been connections to Austronesian, such as Tagalog suligi (“dart, short spear”), but such possibilities seem only speculative at present.

Noun

1. a sword

Usage notes

This term usually refers more specifically to double-edged swords, as opposed to the single-edged 刀 (katana).

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 剣(つるぎ)山(さん) (Tsurugisan)
• 剣(つるぎ)岳(だけ) (Tsurugidake)
• 剣(つるぎ)太刀(たち) (tsurugi-tachi), 剣(つるぎ)の太刀(たち) (tsurugi no tachi)
• 剣(つるぎ)の枝(えだ) (tsurugi no eda)
• 剣(つるぎ)の頭(たかみ) (tsurugi no takami)
• 剣(つるぎ)の舞(まい) (tsurugi no mai)
• 剣(つるぎ)の山(やま) (tsurugi no yama)
• 剣(つるぎ)羽(ば) (tsurugiba)
• 天(あめの)叢(むら)雲(くもの)剣(つるぎ) (Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi)
• 草(くさ)薙(なぎの)剣(つるぎ) (Kusanagi no Tsurugi)
• 氷(こおり)の剣(つるぎ) (kōri no tsurugi)
• 高麗(こま)剣(つるぎ) (Koma-tsurugi), 狛(こま)剣(つるぎ) (komatsurugi)
• 三(さん)尺(じゃく)の剣(つるぎ) (sanjaku no tsurugi)
• ダモクレスの剣(つるぎ) (Damokuresu no Tsurugi)
• 月(つき)の剣(つるぎ) (tsuki no tsurugi)
• 十(と)束(つか)の剣(つるぎ) (totsuka no tsurugi)
• 八(や)剣(つるぎ) (Yatsurugi)

Idioms

Idioms

• 剣(つるぎ)の刃(は)を渡(わた)る (tsurugi no wa o wataru)
• 奥(おく)歯(ば)に剣(つるぎ) (okuba ni tsurugi)
• 我慢(がまん)の剣(つるぎ) (gaman no tsurugi)
• 心(こころ)に剣(つるぎ)を含(ふく)む (kokoro ni tsurugi o fukumu)
• 霜(しも)の剣(つるぎ) (shimo no tsurugi)
• 諸(もろ)刃(は)の剣(つるぎ) (moroha no tsurugi, “double-edged sword”)
• 両刃(りょうば)の剣(つるぎ) (ryōba no tsurugi, “double-edged sword”)

Proverbs

Proverbs

• 剣(つるぎ)の刃(は)渡(わた)り (tsurugi no hawatari)
• 舌(した)の剣(つるぎ)は命(いのち)を絶(た)つ (shita no tsurugi wa inochi o tatsu)
• 船(ふね)に刻(こく)して剣(つるぎ)を求(もと)む (fune ni kokushite tsurugi o motomu)
• 昔(むかし)の剣(つるぎ)今(いま)の菜(な)刀(がたな) (mukashi no tsurugi ima no nagatana)

Proper noun

剣(つるぎ) • (Tsurugi) 

1. a female given name

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
剣
まやか Grade: S
irregular

Alternative spelling
劍 (kyūjitai)

Unknown. Japanese names often apply readings from other words to allude to different meanings.

Proper noun

1. a female given name

Coordinate terms

Coordinate terms

• 刀(かたな) (katana)
• 大刀(たち) (tachi)
• 太刀(たち) (tachi)
• 短刀(たんとう) (tantō)
• 薙刀(なぎなた), 長刀(なぎなた) (naginata)
• 脇差(わきざし) (wakizashi)

See also

• 諸(もろ)刃(は) (moroha, “double edge”)