knife; blade
HSK level
刀 is written with 2 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
刀 (dāo) is a noun meaning 'knife' or 'blade' — any single-edged cutting tool, from a kitchen knife (菜刀) to a pocketknife (小刀) to a sword-like blade (大刀).
It is neutral and everyday. The measure word is 把 (bǎ), the same one used for objects you grip by a handle. Unlike English, where 'knife' is just a tool, 刀 in Chinese is one half of a famous pair: 刀 (single-edged, chopping blade) versus 剑 (jiàn, double-edged sword).
It also appears as a radical (刂) in many characters connected to cutting, such as 分, 别, and 到. Note that 刀 can informally act as a classifier for a bundle of one hundred sheets of paper, and in some slang 刀 means a 'dollar,' but the core learner meaning is simply 'knife.'
请给我一把刀。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bǎ dāo.
Please give me a knife.
neutral
这把刀很快，小心点。
Zhè bǎ dāo hěn kuài, xiǎoxīn diǎn.
This knife is very sharp, be careful.
spoken
妈妈用菜刀切菜。
Māma yòng càidāo qiē cài.
Mom cuts vegetables with a kitchen knife.
neutral
他从小就喜欢收藏刀。
Tā cóngxiǎo jiù xǐhuan shōucáng dāo.
He has liked collecting knives since childhood.
written
刀子 is the colloquial spoken form with the noun suffix 子; it usually refers to a small everyday knife. Bare 刀 is more general and appears in compounds like 菜刀 and 大刀.
剑 is a straight, double-edged sword used for thrusting, associated with elegance and martial arts. 刀 is a single-edged, often curved blade for chopping. Chinese culture treats them as a contrasting pair.
力 (strength) looks very similar to 刀 but has a slanted stroke instead of the enclosed hook. 刀 = knife, 力 = strength/force.
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