刀 (dāo): knife, blade, single-edged sword, cutlass, (slang) (loanword) dollar, classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper)
刀 (dāo) is a Chinese character meaning “knife.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 丿 (structural). It ranks #1066 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Definitions
- knife
- blade
- single-edged sword
- cutlass
- (slang) (loanword) dollar
- classifier for sets of one hundred sheets (of paper)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 刀 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 刀
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 刀子noun | dāo zi | knife |
| 刀锋noun | dāo fēng | cutting edge or point of a knife, sword or tool |
| 剃刀noun | tì dāo | razor |
| 小刀noun | xiǎo dāo | knife |
| 刀片noun | dāo piàn | blade |
| 刺刀noun | cì dāo | bayonet |
| 刀刃noun | dāo rèn | knife blade |
| 开刀verb | kāi dāo | (of a surgeon) to perform an operation |
| 螺丝刀noun | luó sī dāo | screwdriver |
| 砍刀 | kǎn dāo | machete |
| 镰刀noun | lián dāo | sickle |
| 刀枪不入 | dāo qiāng bù rù | lit. impervious to sword or spear (idiom) |
| 一刀两断 | yī dāo liǎng duàn | (idiom) to make a clean break with |
| 刀具noun | dāo jù | cutting tool |
| 剃须刀noun | tì xū dāo | shaver |
刀 appears in 102 compound words: 28 as the first character, 62 as the last, and 10 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 刀 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (20)
old but still got it; as vigorous and active as before; just as skilled as when one was young
to handle something with daring and resolve; to be bold and decisive when handling an issue; drastic
lit. to go among enemies with only one's sword (idiom); fig. to go alone into enemy lines
lit. impervious to sword or spear (idiom); fig. invulnerable; untouchable
single-edged and double-edged swords, spears and halberds; all kinds of ancient weapons
to get someone else to do one's dirty work; to attack someone using the strength of another
lit. impervious to sword or spear (idiom); fig. invulnerable; untouchable
to handle something with daring and resolve; to be bold and decisive when handling an issue; drastic
lit. to go among enemies with only one's sword (idiom); fig. to go alone into enemy lines
Showing 12 of 20 idioms containing 刀.
Example Sentences
这个刀字的意思与它的部首有关。
zhè gě dāo zì de yì sī yú tā de bù shǒu yǒu guān .
The meaning of the character "刀" is related to its radical.
...购条例将审查 国民党:确保每分预算都用在刀口上
. . . gòu tiáo lì jiāng shěn chá guó mín dǎng : què bǎo měi fēn yù suàn dōu yòng zài dāo kǒu shàng
... The purchase regulations will be reviewed by the Kuomintang: ensure that every cent of the budget is used on the edge of the knife
消息:暂停电动车首次登记税宽减非一刀切 有信心无碍政策目标
xiāo xī : zàn tíng diàn dòng chē shǒu cì dēng jì shuì kuān jiǎn fēi yī dāo qiē yǒu xìn xīn wú ài zhèng cè mù biāo
News: The suspension of the first registration tax for electric vehicles is not one-size-fits-all, and I am confident that it will not hinder the policy goal
65岁林瑞阳惊传胸腔动刀!张庭回应了
6 5 suì lín ruì yáng jīng chuán xiōng qiāng dòng dāo ! zhāng tíng huí yīng le
65-year-old Lin Ruiyang was shocked to hear that he had a chest knife! Zhang Ting responded
陈伟智:人生还在战斗的九把刀─《功夫》是不是你还期待的那个模样?
chén wěi zhì : rén shēng hái zài zhàn dǒu de jiǔ bǎ dāo gōng fū shì bù shì nǐ hái qī dài de nà gè mó yàng ?
Chen Weizhi: The nine knives that are still fighting in life - is "Kung Fu" the look you are still looking forward to?
...容易上当...狮子投资被骗、他被熟人捅一刀
. . . róng yì shàng dāng . . . shī zǐ tóu zī bèi piàn , tā bèi shú rén tǒng yī dāo
... Easy to be fooled... Lion Investment was deceived, and he was stabbed by an acquaintance
书桌上有一把剪刀。
Shūzhuō shàng yǒu yī bǎ jiǎndāo.
There is a pair of scissors on the desk.
这把刀的刀锋很利。
Zhè bǎ dāo de dāofēng hěn lì.
The knife has a keen blade.
她得知父亲突然离世，不禁心如刀割。
Tā dézhī fùqīn tūrán líshì, bù jìn xīnrúdāogē.
She was filled with deep grief to hear of her father's sudden death.
它可以被当成一把刀来用。
Tā kěyǐ bèi dàngchéng yī bǎ dāo lái yòng.
It can be used as a knife.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 刀 (dāo) mean in Chinese?
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What is the radical of 刀?
What are the components of 刀?
What are common words containing 刀?
What characters sound the same as 刀 (dāo)?
Is 刀 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 刀 with real-time feedback
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