U+5200 "刀" CJK Unified Ideograph-# Unicode Character
U+5200 "刀" CJK Unified Ideograph-# is a logographic character used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean writing systems, where it primarily means "knife" or "blade" and serves as a radical (often numbered 18 in Kangxi dictionaries) for words related to cutting or sharpness. In Chinese, it is read as dāo; in Japanese, as katana or tō; and in Korean, as do. Its pictographic origin depicts an ancient knife or sword, and it appears as a key component in compound characters like 分 (to divide, indicating a knife cutting something in two) or 切 (to cut). The character carries cultural significance beyond its literal meaning, often symbolizing decisiveness, strength, or the concept of a blade in martial arts and classical literature, and it is commonly found in everyday vocabulary and historical texts across East Asia.