Japanese

脇差: two wakizashi below two katana, showing the difference in size.

Noun

脇差 ‎(hiragana わきざし, romaji wakizashi)

1. (weaponry) a traditional Japanese shortsword, often used as a secondary weapon to a katana

   Traditionally 30cm to 60cm in length. For more details, see Wakizashi on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Coordinate terms

• 刀 (かたな) ‎(katana): traditional Japanese single-bladed curved sword
• 短刀 (たんとう) ‎(tantō): traditional Japanese shortsword or dagger (30cm and shorter)
• 大小 (だいしょう) ‎(daishō): “big and small”: the katana and wakizashi as a set

See also

• 鎧通 (よろいどう)し ‎(yoroidōshi): a kind of stout dagger intended for thrusting

References

1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9