両りょう刀とう使づかい

also: りょうとうつかい

りょ

う

と

う

づ

か

い

Meanings

noun

two-sword fencing; two-sword fencer

Refers to the martial art of using two swords simultaneously (e.g., katana and wakizashi) or a person who practices it. Often associated with Miyamoto Musashi's nitōryū.

Kanji

両both, old Japanese coin, counter for carriages (e.g., in a train)
刀sword, saber, knife
使use, send on a mission, order
遣dispatch, despatch, send

Related words

二に刀とう流りゅう
二刀流 specifically refers to the two-sword fencing style (nitōryū) or, by extension, doing two things at once (e.g., pitching and batting in baseball). 両刀使い is more about a person who is skilled in two areas or has two contrasting tastes/identities.

Built from

両りょう刀とう+使つかう

Written forms

両刀使い
- りょうとうづかい
  Standard kanji spelling.
- りょうとうつかい
両刀遣い
- りょうとうづかい
  Variant using 遣い; less common but acceptable.
- りょうとうつかい
りょうとうつかい

Etymology

Compound of 両刀 (ryōtō, 'two swords') + 使い (tsukai, 'user'). Originally referred to a practitioner of two-sword fencing; later extended metaphorically to anyone adept in two fields or having dual preferences.