Katana - Etymology

Etymology

"Katana" is the term now used to describe nihontō that are 2 shaku (606 mm / 23.9 in.) and longer, also known as "dai" or "daito" among Western sword enthusiasts although daito is actually a generic name for any long sword.

Pronounced, the kun'yomi (Japanese reading) of the kanji 刀, originally meaning dao (sword) or knife/saber in Chinese, the word has been adopted as a loanword by the Portuguese language. In Portuguese the designation (spelled catana) means "large knife" or machete. As Japanese does not have separate plural and singular forms, both "katanas" and "katana" are considered acceptable forms in English.

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