剣

See also: 劍 and 剑

剣 U+5263, 剣 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5263 ← 剢 [U+5262] CJK Unified Ideographs 剤 → [U+5264]

Translingual

Stroke order

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

Chinese

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

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(ケン)橋(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).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) け​ん [kéꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [kẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

剣(けん) • (ken) 

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 turuki, 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 Japanese but also appearing as ki in 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”) (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?), but such possibilities seem only speculative at present.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) つるぎ [tsùrúgí] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) つるぎ​ [tsùrúgíꜜ] (Odaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨᵝɾɯ̟ᵝɡʲi]

Noun

剣(つるぎ) • (tsurugi) 

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(た)刀(ち) (tsurugi-tachi), 剣(つるぎ)の太(た)刀(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(こ)麗(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(が)慢(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(りょう)刃(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
2. a surname

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ma̠ja̠ka̠]

Proper noun

剣(まやか) • (Mayaka) 

1. a female given name

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
剣
つとむ Grade: S
nanori

Alternative spelling
劍 (kyūjitai)

Proper noun

剣(つとむ) • (Tsutomu) 

1. a male given name

Coordinate terms

Coordinate terms

• 刀(かたな) (katana)
• 大(た)刀(ち) (tachi)
• 太(た)刀(ち) (tachi)
• 短(たん)刀(とう) (tantō)
• 薙(なぎ)刀(なた), 長(なぎ)刀(なた) (naginata)
• 脇(わき)差(ざし) (wakizashi)

See also

• 諸(もろ)刃(は) (moroha, “double edge”)

Old Japanese

Etymology

The variation between turugi₁ or turuki₁ suggests a compound origin. Alternatively, it may possibly be a misspelling of turugi₁, as there was not a phonemic distinction of voiced and voiceless consonants in most Old Japanese texts. However, turuki₁ is attested in the Nihon Shoki.

A surface analysis suggests that this might be a compound of 釣る, 吊る (turu, “to hang, as at one's side”) + ki, but there is no clear etymon for the ki portion. One possibility would be 牙 (KI, “fang”), in spite that KI is not attested phonographically in Old Japanese. 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”) (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?), but such possibilities seem only speculative at present.

Noun

剣 (turugi₁ or turuki₁) (kana つるぎ or つるき)

1. sword
   • 711–712, Kojiki:

     袁登賣能登許能辨爾和賀淤岐斯都流岐能多知曾能多知波夜

     wotome₁ no₂ to₂ko₂ no₂ be₁ ni wa ga oki₁si turuki₁ no₂ tati so₂ no₂ tati pa ya

     On the girl's bed, I had put down a sword; the one that is a long sword!

     波加勢流多知母登都流芸須恵布由

     pakaseru tati mo₂to₂ turugi₁ suwe puyu

     I put on a long sword; the stemed sword, and I swung the tip.

   • 720, Nihon Shoki:

     時、素戔鳴尊、乃拔所帶十握劒、寸斬其蛇。至尾劒刃少缺、故割裂其尾視之、中有一劒、此所謂草薙劒也。草薙劒、此云倶娑那伎能都留伎。

     When he came to the tail, the edge of his sword was slightly notched, and he therefore split open the tail and examined it. In the inside there was a sword. This is the sword which is called Kusa-nagi no tsurugi [sic].

     時五瀬命矢瘡痛甚、乃撫劒而雄誥之曰（撫劒、此云都盧耆能多伽彌屠利辭魔屢）[...]

     Now Itsuse no Mikoto's arrow wound was extremely painful. He grasped his sword, and striking a martial attitude, said: (read 撫劒 as turugi₁ no₂ taka mi₁to₂ri) [...]

Derived terms

• 剣太刀 (turugi₁ tati, turuki₁ tati)
• 高麗剣 (KO₂MA TURU[G/K]I₁)