also: しゅとう
knife hand; hand used like a sword
Refers to the hand held flat with fingers together, used in martial arts strikes or as a gesture. The reading しゅとう is standard in karate and similar contexts.
彼は手刀で木の板を割った。
He split a wooden board with a knife hand.
彼は手刀で相手の腕を打ち落とした。
He struck down his opponent's arm with a knife hand.
Standard kanji spelling; reading しゅとう is the most common in martial arts contexts.
Alternate reading; less common and may be considered archaic or literary.
Compound of 手 (hand) and 刀 (sword), literally 'hand sword'. The reading しゅとう is the on'yomi, while てがたな is the kun'yomi.