刀 meaning in English
knife; blade; single-edged sword; cutlass (CL:把[ba3]); (slang) (loanword) dollar
Meaning of 刀
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- knife; blade; single-edged sword; cutlass (CL:把[ba3])
- (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[xiang3 dao1 ta1] "I could kill him!")
- surname Dao
How to use 刀
刀 means a knife or blade and takes the measure word 把 (bǎ). It also appears in many compounds like 剪刀 (jiǎndāo, scissors) and 开刀 (kāidāo, to have or perform an operation). Example: 请给我一把刀。(Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bǎ dāo.) Please give me a knife.
刀 (dāo) looks like a knife seen from the side: the hooked stroke is the blade and the short stroke on top is the handle. Picture holding it by that little top stroke and cutting with the long curved edge.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 刀 with 力 (lì, strength). In 力 the top stroke pokes out above the hook, while in 刀 it does not. Also do not use 个 as the measure word. Say 一把刀, not 一个刀.
刀 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
刀 dāo · knife · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 刀.
| 剪刀 | jiǎndāo | scissors |
| 刀子 | dāozi | knife |
| 小刀 | xiǎodāo | knife |
| 剃刀 | tìdāo | razor |
| 开刀 | kāidāo | (of a surgeon) to perform an operation; (of a patient) to have an operation |
| 刀片 | dāopiàn | blade; razor blade |
| 刺刀 | cìdāo | bayonet |
| 刀锋 | dāofēng | cutting edge or point of a knife, sword or tool |
| 刀疤 | dāobā | scar from a knife wound |
| 菜刀 | càidāo | vegetable knife; kitchen knife |
| 刀刃 | dāorèn | knife blade; crucial point |
| 刀剑 | dāojiàn | sword |
Questions about 刀
What does 刀 mean?
刀 (dāo) means "knife; blade; single-edged sword; cutlass (CL:把[ba3]); (slang) (loanword) dollar" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 刀?
刀 is made of 1 character: 刀 (2 strokes). That is 2 strokes in total.
Is 刀 an HSK word?
Yes. 刀 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 刀 and 刀子?
Both mean knife. 刀子 (dāozi) is more colloquial and usually means an ordinary everyday knife. 刀 alone is broader and is the form used inside compounds like 刀片 (dāopiàn, blade).
What does 刀 mean in online shopping slang?
On second-hand marketplaces, 刀 can mean to bargain or ask for a small discount, for example 能刀吗？(Néng dāo ma?) Can you knock a bit off the price? Online it can also jokingly mean to knife someone, as in 想刀他 (xiǎng dāo tā), I could kill him, which is hyperbole and not a real threat.