Meaning
刃 means blade or edge — the sharp cutting edge of a sword, knife, or bladed weapon. Three strokes capture all of that. Among N1 kanji, few are this compact, and that simplicity is deceptive: the character carries a dangerous, razor-sharp image in almost nothing.
Etymologically, 刃 is derived from 刀 (tō), meaning "sword" or "knife" — a pictograph of a curved blade. 刃 adds a single dot, a small diagonal stroke, to the body of 刀, marking exactly where the cutting edge (やいば) lies. Characters built this way are called ideographic indicators (指事文字, shiji moji in Japanese): an added stroke points at one specific feature of an existing symbol. Here, the dot says: this is where the sharpness is.
Visually, imagine 刀 as a drawn sword. The dot in 刃 marks the most dangerous part — the edge that separates a weapon from a blunt object. Once you see the logic, the character sticks.
As a Jōyō kanji at grade 8 level, 刃 turns up across literature, historical texts, martial arts vocabulary, and news writing. Three strokes make it one of the easiest N1 kanji to write — yet the meaning carries real weight. Knowing it opens vocabulary ranging from everyday kitchen tools to classical samurai texts.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is ジン (JIN), drawn from the ancient Chinese pronunciation. It surfaces mainly in Sino-Japanese compounds tied to weapons, violence, or formal writing. In everyday conversation ジン is rare, but it appears in vocabulary that comes up in news reporting and historical texts.
- 凶刃 (kyōjin) — murderous blade; a killer's weapon. A staple of news reporting on violent attacks and historical assassinations.
- 白刃 (hakujin) — bare blade; an unsheathed sword exposed in the open. Literary and dramatic in tone.
- 刃傷 (ninjō) — wounding with a blade; a formal term for violence with an edged weapon. Found in historical texts, including the Edo-period incident 刃傷松の廊下 (ninjō Matsu no Rōka).
- 刀刃 (tōjin) — the cutting edge of a sword. A formal or classical expression for the blade itself.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
刃 has two kun'yomi readings: は (ha) and やいば (yaiba). は is the more common and productive of the two, appearing across a wide range of everyday compound words. やいば is older and more literary — better suited to dramatic or classical writing about swords and traditional weaponry.
は (ha) — the blade or cutting edge of a tool or weapon:
- 刃物 (hamono) — a cutting tool; any bladed implement such as a knife, scissors, or sword. The most common compound using 刃.
- 刃先 (hasaki) — the tip or point of a blade. The sharpest, most precise part of a cutting edge.
- 刃渡り (hawatari) — blade length, measured from hilt to tip. Used when describing or comparing swords and kitchen knives.
- 刃向かう (hamukau) — to defy or resist someone in authority. Literally "to turn one's blade toward," used figuratively for any act of confrontation or rebellion.
- 諸刃 (moroha) — double-edged; sharpened on both sides. Best known from the idiom 諸刃の剣 (moroha no tsurugi), meaning something that brings both benefit and serious risk.
やいば (yaiba) — an older, more poetic reading for "blade" or "sword." Unlike は, it rarely appears in fixed compound words. 刃 written as やいば tends to stand alone in literary prose, evoking the gleam and danger of a drawn sword in a way the everyday は does not.
Common Words & Compounds
Most vocabulary using 刃 clusters around blades, weapons, and sharpness — both literal and figurative. The compounds below are grouped by theme.
Cutting tools and blade anatomy:
- 刃物 (hamono) — cutting tool; any bladed implement. A broad term covering knives, scissors, and swords alike.
- 刃先 (hasaki) — blade tip. The sharpest, most precise end of a cutting edge.
- 刃渡り (hawatari) — blade length. Total measurement from base to tip, commonly cited for swords and kitchen knives.
- 両刃 (moroha) / 両刃 (ryōba) — double-edged. A blade sharpened on both sides, as opposed to a single-bevel blade.
- 片刃 (kataha) — single-edged. Characteristic of many traditional Japanese kitchen knives and woodworking tools.
Swords and weapons (formal and literary):
- 白刃 (shiraha) / 白刃 (hakujin) — bare blade; a drawn, unsheathed sword. Used in dramatic and historical writing, especially when the blade gleams in open light.
- 凶刃 (kyōjin) — murderous blade. Seen regularly in news media covering violent crimes or historical assassinations.
- 刃傷 (ninjō) — wounding with a blade. A formal, elevated term with strong historical connotations.
Idiomatic and figurative expressions:
- 諸刃の剣 (moroha no tsurugi) — a double-edged sword. An idiom for something that brings both benefit and danger, with no way to have one without the other. Common in academic writing and formal speech.
- 刃向かう (hamukau) — to defy, to push back against authority. A vivid image of turning one's blade on a superior, now used in everyday contexts from workplace disagreements to family disputes.
Example Sentences
料理人は毎朝、包丁の刃を砥石で研ぐ。
Ryōrinin wa maiasa, hōchō no ha wo toishi de togu.
The chef sharpens the kitchen knife blade on a whetstone every morning.
刃物は子供の手の届かない場所に保管してください。
Hamono wa kodomo no te no todokanai basho ni hokan shite kudasai.
Please store cutting tools in a place out of reach of children.
その剣の刃渡りは約六十センチメートルだった。
Sono ken no hawatari wa yaku rokujū senchimētoru datta.
The blade length of that sword was approximately sixty centimeters.
彼は上司の命令に刃向かい、職を失った。
Kare wa jōshi no meirei ni hamukai, shoku wo ushinatta.
He defied his boss's orders and lost his job as a result.
諸刃の剣という表現は、利益と危険を同時にもたらすものを指す。
Moroha no tsurugi to iu hyōgen wa, rieki to kiken wo dōji ni motarasu mono wo sasu.
The expression "double-edged sword" refers to something that brings both benefit and danger at the same time.
白刃が夕日を受けてきらきらと輝いた。
Shiraha ga yūhi wo ukete kirakira to kagayaita.
The bare blade glittered brilliantly in the light of the setting sun.
凶刃に倒れた英雄を称える歌が作られた。
Kyōjin ni taoreta eiyū wo tataeru uta ga tsukurareta.
A song was composed to honor the hero who fell to an assassin's blade.
この包丁の刃先は非常に鋭く、扱いに注意が必要だ。
Kono hōchō no hasaki wa hijō ni surudoku, atsukai ni chūi ga hitsuyō da.
The tip of this kitchen knife's blade is extremely sharp, so care is needed when handling it.
鍛冶師は真っ赤に熱した鉄を叩いて刃を作り上げた。
Kajishi wa makkani nesshita tetsu wo tataite yaiba wo tsukuriageta.
The blacksmith forged the blade by hammering red-hot iron into shape.
その映画の剣士は、刃を抜かずに敵を制した。
Sono eiga no kenshi wa, ha wo nukazu ni teki wo seishita.
The swordsman in that film subdued his enemies without ever drawing his blade.
Memory Tip
Think of 刀 as a drawn sword. Now someone presses a fingertip to the blade: 'Careful — this is the sharp part.' That tiny dot is the only difference between 刀 and 刃, and it points directly at the cutting edge. 刃 is a sword with a warning label written into it.
For やいば (yaiba), picture a samurai drawing a blade and calling out the word as the edge catches the light — that dramatic sound fixes the reading in memory. For the idiom 諸刃の剣, the image is simple: a sword sharpened on both sides is just as dangerous to the person swinging it. That's the metaphor.