剣

Unorthodox variant of 劍.

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)

• 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

(Jōyō kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 劍)

1. double-edged sword
2. swordsmanship

• 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)

• 利(り)剣(けん) (riken)
• 剣(ケン)橋(ブリッジ) (Kenburijji)

/kem/ → /kemʉ/ → /keɴ/

From Middle Chinese 劍 (MC kjaemH).

Compare modern Mandarin 劍 / 剑 (jiàn).

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

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

This term refers to swords in general.^[2]

• 刀(かたな) (katana)

• 剣(けん)を売(う)り牛(うし)を買(か)う (ken o uri ushi o kau)

• 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)

剣(けん) • (Ken) 

1. a male given name

⟨turuki₁⟩ → */turukʲi/ → /t͡suruɡi/

Shift from Old Japanese turuki,^[1][2] 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.^[1][2]

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.

• (Tokyo) つるぎ [tsùrúgí] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
• (Tokyo) つるぎ [tsùrúgíꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨɾɯ̟ɡʲi]

剣(つるぎ) • (tsurugi) 

1. a sword

This term usually refers more specifically to double-edged swords, as opposed to the single-edged 刀 (katana).^[2]

剣(つるぎ) • (Tsurugi) 

1. a female given name
2. a surname

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

• IPA^(key): [ma̠ja̠ka̠]

剣(まやか) • (Mayaka) 

1. a female given name

• (Tokyo) つとむ [tsùtómú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨto̞mɯ̟]

剣(つとむ) • (Tsutomu) 

1. a male given name

• 諸(もろ)刃(は) (moroha, “double edge”)

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.^[1][2]

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.

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) [...]

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