2006-12-31 05:00:27 · 11 answers · asked by kairisheart 3 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Comics & Animation
"Tsurugi" (if you're talking about a straight, generic broadsword type thing like the kind used by Westerners or the Chinese), or, what the other poster was trying to write, "katana" (the curved Japanese swords you see in "Kill Bill"). The Japanese don't use plural forms, making things understood in context or by adjectives indicating number.
2006-12-31 05:05:01 · answer #1 · answered by themikejonas 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are a few ways to say sword. "To" or "tou" are the most used suffixes. From those two you get things like "daito", "shoto", "tanto", etc. "Ken" is the word used to describe Chinese or double-edged swords.
("Kendo" is a mixture of old and new words, in that it uses ken [which is also the old Japanese word for swords in general, since most of the swords came from and evolved from Chinese swords.] and the suffix "do" which is, in essence, "the way of ...")
There are also different names for different subcategories, if you want to get technical.
Tachi and kodachi - Older form of long and short swords, similar to the katana and wakizashi/tanto. These come from the old root of dachi/tachi. Pretty self-explanitory. They were often more ornate than the younger katana and were slung edge down.
Chokuto - An old, single-edge style of straight tachi.
Katana and wakizashi - long and short swords. Together they are called "daisho" ("longshort" ^_^)
Nodachi - A great field tachi. Some measured more than 6 shaku (appx. 6 feet) in overall length.
Odachi - Similar to the nodachi, but were generally more ornate or of a rediculous geometry. Many were dedicated to temples as swords of guardian kami, used as symbols of armies or intimidation weapons, and even given to shrines in memory of fallen warriors.
There are plenty more styles of swords, and even polearms such as naginata, nagamaki (think hybrid katana-naginata), yari, etc.
I hope this helps! :D
2006-12-31 15:05:35 · answer #2 · answered by thetsugiosan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Katana
2006-12-31 14:17:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't know. Try reading Rurouni Kenshin manga. It tells you the word for reversed blade sword.
2006-12-31 05:07:24 · answer #4 · answered by Kia Yamato 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can find a lot of really useful stuff on Katanas at Wikipedia, there are a ton of them that you can look at.
2006-12-31 05:31:12 · answer #5 · answered by ninjauto 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Katana". it's not Kanata. it's either the girl misunderstood or misspelled. but anyways it's "Katana" trust me. i'm asain and crazy over Japanese anime. i watch subbed anime. and learn many Japanese words from watching.
2006-12-31 05:11:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
"Katana" is swords in Japanese.
2006-12-31 05:04:23 · answer #7 · answered by Quizgrl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Ken", kinda like the "ken" in "Tenkuken" (heavenly sword) and "Kendo" (swordmanship).
But there are various way to say "swords" in Japanese.
2006-12-31 11:04:53 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not "kanata". It's "katana". Trust me
2006-12-31 05:09:14 · answer #9 · answered by Fattah G 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
ALSO THAT SAYS IT ALL
2006-12-31 05:09:05 · answer #10 · answered by RRRRRRRR 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋