剣けん

See also: 劍けん and 剑

剣けん U+5263, 剣 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5263 ← 剢 [U+5262] CJK Unified Ideographs 剤ざい → [U+5264]

Translingual

Stroke order

Traditional	劍けん
Shinjitai	剣けん
Simplified	剑

Glyph origin

Unorthodox variant of 劍けん.

Han character

剣けん (Kangxi radical 18, 刀かたな+8, 10 strokes, cangjie input 人人ひとびと中ちゅう弓ゆみ (OOLN) or 難なん人人ひとびと中ちゅう弓ゆみ (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 剣けん – see 劍けん (“sword; sabre; etc.”). (This character is a variant form of 劍けん).

Japanese

Shinjitai	剣けん
Kyūjitai	劍けん

Kanji

剣けん

(Jōyō kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 劍けん)

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, 剣けん, Jōyō)^{←つるぎ (turugi, 剣けん, historical)←つるき (turuki, 剣けん, ancient)}
• Nanori: あきら (akira); つとむ (tsutomu); はや (haya); まやか (mayaka)

Compounds

• 利り(り)剣けん(けん) (riken)
• 剣けん(ケン)橋はし(ブリッジ) (Kenburijji)

Alternative forms

剣けん: A ken or tsurugi with 鞘さや (saya, “scabbard”).

Kanji in this term
剣けん
けん Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
劍けん (kyūjitai)

• 劔つるぎ, 劒

Etymology 1

/kem/ → /kemʉ/ → /keɴ/

From Middle Chinese 劍けん (MC kjaemH).

Compare modern Mandarin 劍けん／剑 (jiàn).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) けん [kéꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [kẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

剣けん(けん) • (ken) 

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

   Synonym: 剣術けんじゅつ (kenjutsu)

3. a bayonet

   Synonym: 銃剣じゅうけん (jūken)

4. (entomology) a stinger
5. (entomology) an ovipositor
6. a 家紋かもん (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(けん)客きゃく(かく) (kenkaku), 剣けん(けん)客きゃく(きゃく) (kenkyaku, “swordsman, fencer”)
• 剣けん(けん)豪ごう(ごう) (kengō, “master fencer, great swordsman”)
• 剣けん(けん)山やま(ざん) (kenzan)
• 剣けん(けん)士し(し) (kenshi, “swordsman, fencer”)
• 剣けん(けん)術じゅつ(じゅつ) (kenjutsu, “techniques of swordsmanship”)
• 剣けん(けん)槍やり(そう), 剣けん(けん)鎗(そう) (kensō)
• 剣けん(けん)道みち(どう) (kendō): kendo, the Japanese martial art of the sword
• 剣けん(けん)難なん(なん) (kennan)
  • 剣けん(けん)呑(のん) (kennon)
• 剣けん(けん)舞まい(ぶ) (kenbu)
• 懐ふところ(かい)剣けん(けん) (kaiken)
• 撃げき(げき)剣けん(けん) (gekiken), 撃げき(げっ)剣けん(けん) (gekken)
• 三さん(さん)尺しゃく(じゃく)の剣けん(けん) (sanjaku no ken)
• 真しん(しん)剣けん(けん) (shinken)
• 聖きよし(せい)剣けん(けん) (seiken, “holy or sanctified blade or sword”)
• 短たん(たん)剣けん(けん) (tanken)
• 月つき(つき)の剣けん(けん) (tsuki no ken)
• 刀かたな(とう)剣けん(けん) (tōken)
• 十じゅう(と)束たば(つか)の剣けん(けん) (totsuka no ken)
• 木き(ぼっ)剣けん(けん) (bokken, “wooden sword”)
• 名な(めい)剣けん(けん) (meiken)

Idioms

• 剣けん(けん)を売うれ(う)り牛うし(うし)を買かい(か)う (ken o uri ushi o kau)

Proverbs

• 剣けん(けん)は一人ひとり(いちにん)の敵てき(てき)学がく(まな)ぶに足あし(た)らず (ken wa ichinin no teki manabu ni tarazu)
• 剣けん(けん)を落(お)として舟ふね(ふね)を刻こく(きざ)む (ken o otoshite fune o kizamu)

Proper noun

剣けん(けん) • (Ken) 

1. a male given name

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
剣けん
つるぎ Grade: S
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
劍けん (kyūjitai)

⟨turuki₁⟩ → */turukʲi/ → /t͡suruɡi/

Shift from Old Japanese turuki, itself of unknown derivation.

A surface analysis suggests that this might be a compound of 釣つる, 吊つる (tsuru, “to hang, as at one's side”) + ki, but there is no clear etymon for the ki portion. One possibility would be 牙きば (“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 歯は (“tooth”) and 刃は (“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): [t͡sɨɾɯ̟ɡʲi]

Noun

剣けん(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 刀かたな (katana).

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 剣けん(つるぎ)山やま(さん) (Tsurugisan)
• 剣けん(つるぎ)岳たけ(だけ) (Tsurugidake)
• 剣けん(つるぎ)太ふとし(た)刀かたな(ち) (tsurugi-tachi), 剣けん(つるぎ)の太ふとし(た)刀かたな(ち) (tsurugi no tachi)
• 剣けん(つるぎ)の枝えだ(えだ) (tsurugi no eda)
• 剣けん(つるぎ)の頭あたま(たかみ) (tsurugi no takami)
• 剣けん(つるぎ)の舞まい(まい) (tsurugi no mai)
• 剣けん(つるぎ)の山やま(やま) (tsurugi no yama)
• 剣けん(つるぎ)羽はね(ば) (tsurugiba)
• 天てん(あめの)叢くさむら(むら)雲くも(くもの)剣けん(つるぎ) (Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi)
• 草くさ(くさ)薙なぎ(なぎの)剣けん(つるぎ) (Kusanagi no Tsurugi)
• 氷こおり(こおり)の剣けん(つるぎ) (kōri no tsurugi)
• 高こう(こ)麗うらら(ま)剣けん(つるぎ) (Koma-tsurugi), 狛こま(こま)剣けん(つるぎ) (komatsurugi)
• 三さん(さん)尺しゃく(じゃく)の剣けん(つるぎ) (sanjaku no tsurugi)
• ダモクレスの剣けん(つるぎ) (Damokuresu no Tsurugi)
• 月つき(つき)の剣けん(つるぎ) (tsuki no tsurugi)
• 十じゅう(と)束たば(つか)の剣けん(つるぎ) (totsuka no tsurugi)
• 八はち(や)剣けん(つるぎ) (Yatsurugi)

Idioms

Idioms

• 剣けん(つるぎ)の刃は(は)を渡わたり(わた)る (tsurugi no wa o wataru)
• 奥おく(おく)歯は(ば)に剣けん(つるぎ) (okuba ni tsurugi)
• 我わが(が)慢(まん)の剣けん(つるぎ) (gaman no tsurugi)
• 心しん(こころ)に剣けん(つるぎ)を含(ふく)む (kokoro ni tsurugi o fukumu)
• 霜しも(しも)の剣けん(つるぎ) (shimo no tsurugi)
• 諸しょ(もろ)刃は(は)の剣けん(つるぎ) (moroha no tsurugi, “double-edged sword”)
• 両りょう(りょう)刃は(ば)の剣けん(つるぎ) (ryōba no tsurugi, “double-edged sword”)

Proverbs

Proverbs

• 剣けん(つるぎ)の刃は(は)渡わたり(わた)り (tsurugi no hawatari)
• 舌した(した)の剣けん(つるぎ)は命いのち(いのち)を絶ぜっ(た)つ (shita no tsurugi wa inochi o tatsu)
• 船ふね(ふね)に刻こく(こく)して剣けん(つるぎ)を求もとむ(もと)む (fune ni kokushite tsurugi o motomu)
• 昔むかし(むかし)の剣けん(つるぎ)今いま(いま)の菜さい(な)刀かたな(がたな) (mukashi no tsurugi ima no nagatana)

Proper noun

剣けん(つるぎ) • (Tsurugi) 

1. a female given name
2. a surname

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
剣けん
まやか Grade: S
irregular

Alternative spelling
劍けん (kyūjitai)

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ma̠ja̠ka̠]

Proper noun

剣けん(まやか) • (Mayaka) 

1. a female given name

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
剣けん
つとむ Grade: S
nanori

Alternative spelling
劍けん (kyūjitai)

Proper noun

剣けん(つとむ) • (Tsutomu) 

1. a male given name

Coordinate terms

Coordinate terms

• 刀かたな(かたな) (katana)
• 大だい(た)刀かたな(ち) (tachi)
• 太ふとし(た)刀かたな(ち) (tachi)
• 短たん(たん)刀かたな(とう) (tantō)
• 薙なぎ(なぎ)刀かたな(なた), 長なが(なぎ)刀かたな(なた) (naginata)
• 脇わき(わき)差さ(ざし) (wakizashi)

See also

• 諸しょ(もろ)刃は(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 釣つる, 吊つる (turu, “to hang, as at one's side”) + ki, but there is no clear etymon for the ki portion. One possibility would be 牙きば (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 歯は (“tooth”) and 刃は (“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

剣けん (turugi₁ or turuki₁) (kana つるぎ or つるき)

1. sword
   • 711–712, Kojiki:

     袁登賣うり能登のと許もと能辨のうべん爾しか和賀わが淤岐斯都と流りゅう岐能のう多た知ち曾能多た知ち波は夜よる

     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!

     波なみ加勢かせい流りゅう多た知ち母はは登とう都と流りゅう芸げい須恵すえ布ぬの由ゆかり

     pakaseru tati mo₂to₂ turugi₁ suwe puyu

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

   • 720, Nihon Shoki:

     時とき、素す戔鳴尊みこと、乃拔所帶じょたい十じゅう握にぎ劒、寸すん斬き其蛇。至いたり尾お劒刃少しょう缺かけ、故こ割わり裂きれ其尾視し之の、中有ちゅうう一いち劒、此所謂いわゆる草薙くさなぎ劒也。草薙くさなぎ劒、此云倶娑那な伎能都留つる伎。

     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].

     時どき五瀬命矢瘡痛甚、乃撫劒而雄ゆう誥之曰（撫なで劒、此云都と盧の耆能のう多た伽とぎ彌わたる屠ほふ利とぎ辭じ魔ま屢）[...]

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

Derived terms

• 剣けん太刀だち (turugi₁ tati, turuki₁ tati)
• 高麗こうらい剣けん (KO₂MA TURU[G/K]I₁)