Chinese symbol for “knife”
The closest CC-CEDICT match for knife is 刀 (dāo), defined as: knife; blade; single-edged sword; cutlass (CL:把 (bǎ)); (slang) (loanword) dollar; classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper); classifier for knife cuts or stabs; (Internet slang) to bargain; to ask for a small discount (esp. on second-hand marketplaces); (Internet slang) to knife (sb) (often used hyperbolically, as in 想刀他 (xiǎng dāo tā) "I could kill him!").
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “knife”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 刀子 | dāo zi | knife; measure word: 把 (bǎ) |
| 小刀 | xiǎo dāo | knife; measure word: 把 (bǎ) |
| 利刀 | lì dāo | sharp knife; knife (weapon) |
| 切刀 | qiē dāo | cutter; knife |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 刀.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 刀子 | dāo zi | knife; measure word: 把 (bǎ) |
| 剪刀 | jiǎn dāo | scissors; measure word: 把 (bǎ) |
| 刀剑 (刀劍) | dāo jiàn | sword |
| 开刀 (開刀) | kāi dāo | (of a surgeon) to perform an operation; (of a patient) to have an operation |
| 刺刀 | cì dāo | bayonet |
| 持刀 | chí dāo | to hold a knife; knife-wielding |
See also: Japanese symbol for “knife”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.