Tantō
/ˈtɑːn.toʊ/noun
A Japanese short sword or dagger, traditionally worn by samurai.
Did you know?Historically, the tantō was associated not only with combat but also with samurai status and, in some contexts, ritual suicide.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
短刀
“Short knife or short sword; the source written form for the Japanese term.”
8th Century
Old Japanese
たんたう (tatau)
“An early Japanese reading of 短刀, meaning a short sword or dagger.”
Middle Japanese
Japanese
たんとう (tantō)
“Short sword or dagger; the pronunciation developed into modern tantō.”
Modern Japanese
Japanese
短刀 (たんとう)
“A short-bladed sword or dagger, generally under the traditional sword-length classification.”
20th Century
English
tantō
“A Japanese short sword or dagger, adopted as a martial-arts and historical term.”