短刀|たんとうtantou[3]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. nounshort sword; knife; dagger; dirk; tantō

• Synonym小刀こがたなNeutralA small knife, leaning toward one used for whittling; also the shorter blade a samurai wore at his side (the wakizashi).
• Synonym匕首あいくちWrittenWritten/formal word for a dagger with no guard (tsuba); leans toward the lethal-weapon side, where 「短刀」 is the general short blade.
• Synonym短剣たんけんNeutralA short sword, typically double-edged; also means the hour hand of a clock, which 「短刀」 never does. Neutral register.
• RelatedナイフNeutralLoanword for a knife; the everyday default, leaning toward Western-style knives. More everyday than 「短刀」 and free of its weapon lean; use it for ordinary cutting tools.
• RelatedどすCasualColloquial slang for a blade used to stab someone; gangster flavor, much rougher than 「短刀」.
• Related九寸五分くすんごぶWrittenWritten term for the short self-defense blade samurai carried, named for its nine-sun-five-bu (about 29 cm) blade.
• Antonym太刀たちWrittenWritten word for a long sword worn at the hip, the direct opposite of the short 「短刀」.
• Antonym大刀だいとうWrittenThe same word 「太刀」 as above, also written 「大刀」; a long Japanese sword, standing opposite the short 「短刀」.

Use 「短刀」 for a short-bladed Japanese sword; it leans toward weapons. For everyday knives say 「ナイフ」; for a guardless dagger, 「匕首」. The opposite is the long sword 「太刀」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 短みじかい刀かたな。