The Japanese word for sword is katana. The word katana applies to any type of sword from around the world. Uchigatana, on the other hand, means Japanese sword like the ones used by samurai.
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| Romanji | Kanji | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sword (Foreign and Japanese made) かたな | Katana | 刀 | |
| Sword (Japanese made) うちがたな | Uchigatana | 打刀 | |
| Long sword ちょうけん | Chōken | 長剣 | |
| Short sword こだち | Kodachi | 小太刀 |
Interesting facts about Japanese swords
Uchigatana swords, simply referred to as katanas today were traditionally used by samurai warriors during the days of feudal Japan. Not only are the blades of exceptional high-quality because they were folded between 12 and 16 times but they are also razor sharp which is why they are such deadly weapons.