General term for a blade or sword, often with a dramatic or literary feel. Can refer to the weapon itself or the cutting edge.
He held a bare blade in his hand.
forged blade; wavy pattern on forged blades
Specifically refers to the blade of a forged Japanese sword, often with attention to the temper line (hamon). Used in sword appreciation contexts.
See also: 刃文 (はもん)
Metaphorical extension from the physical blade to its cutting quality. Often used in expressions like 刃が立たない (cannot make a dent).
This kitchen knife has a very sharp blade.
unhulled rice
Rare, archaic use. The kanji 刃 is used as a substitute for 籾 (momi) in some old texts.
See also: 籾
The blade gleamed coldly.
A beautiful wavy pattern appears on the blade of this sword.
My arguments couldn't make a dent against his.
In old documents, 刃 is sometimes used to mean unhulled rice.
gleaming sword
The reading やいば is a compound of や (arrow) and いば (blade), originally referring to a blade that cuts like an arrow. The kanji 刃 is used for its meaning 'blade'.