The kanji 剣 represents "sword" or "blade." It refers to a weapon with a long metal blade used for cutting or thrusting. It often evokes images of combat, heroism, and samurai.

・On-yomi (音読み): ケン (ken) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): つるぎ (tsurugi)

⚫︎剣道(kendō) Translation: Kendo (Japanese swordsmanship) ⚫︎刀剣(tōken) Translation: Sword and knife (general term for bladed weapons) ⚫︎名剣(meiken) Translation: Famous sword (a legendary or well-known sword)

The kanji 剣 is a pictograph. The left side is the "刂" radical, a variant of the "刀" radical, and represents a knife or blade. The right side is "佥," a phonetic component that suggests the pronunciation "ken." Therefore, it depicts the blade of a sword, and also implies the meaning of sharpness and cutting. The visual representation evolved over time, becoming more stylized.