ARA NIE - 荒沸 ( alt 荒錵 ) - coarse or large nie

ASHI - 足 - legs (streaks of nioi pointing down toward the edge)

ATO MEI - 後銘 - signature added at a later date

AYASUGI - 綾杉 - large wavy hada (grain)

BO HI - 棒樋 - large or wide groove

BONJI - 梵字 - sanskrit carvings

BO UTSURI - 棒映り - straight utsuri

BOSHI - 帽子 ( alt 鋩子 ) temper line in kissaki (point)

BU - 分 - Japanese measurement (approx 0.1 inch)

CHIKEI - 地影 - dark lines that appear in the ji

CHISAKATANA - 小さ刀 - short katana

CHOJI - 丁子 - clove shaped hamon

CHOJI OIL - 丁子油 - Clove oil for the care of swords

CHOJI MIDARE - 丁子乱れ - irregular choji hamon (temper line)

CHOKUTO - 直刀 - prehistoric straight swords

CHU - 中 - medium

CHU KISSAKI - 中切先 - medium sized point (kissaki)

CHU SUGUHA - 中直刃 -straight, medium width temper line

DAI - 大 - great or large

DAI MEI - 代銘 - student smith signing his teacher's name

DAI SAKU: 代作 - made by a pupil in the name of his master with the master's permission and guidance

DAIMYO - 大名 - feudal lord

DAISHO - 大小 - a matched pair of long and short swords

DAITO - 大刀 - long sword (over 24 inches)

DEN - 伝 - school

FUKURA - 脹 - curve of the ha or edge in the kissaki (point)

FUKURE - 脹れ - flaw; usually a blister in the steel

FUNAGATA - 舟形 - ship bottom shaped nakago

FUNBARI / FUMBARI - 踏ん張り - much taper of the blade from the machi to the kissaki

GAKU MEI - 額銘 - original signature inlaid in a cut-off (o-suriage) tang

GENDAITO - 現代刀 - traditionally forged sword blades by modern smiths

GIMEI - 偽名 - fake signature (mei)

GOKADEN - 五ヶ伝 - the Five Schools of the Koto period

GUNOME - 互の目 - undulating hamon

GUNOME-MIDARE - 互の目乱れ - irregularly undulating hamon

GUNTO - 軍刀 - army or military sword mountings

HA - 刃 - cutting edge

HABAKI - はばき - blade collar

HABUCHI - 刃縁 - the line of the hamon

HADA - 肌 - grain in steel, pattern of folding the steel

HAGANE - 鋼 - steel

HAGIRE - 刃切れ - edge cracks in the hamon (fatal flaw)

HAKIKAKE - 掃掛け - broom swept portions in the boshi

HAKO BA - 箱刃 - box shaped hamon

HAKO MIDARE - 箱乱 - uneven box shaped hamon

HAMACHI - 刃区 - notch at the beginning of the cutting edge

HAMON - 刃文 - temper pattern along blade edge

HANDACHI - 半太刀 - tachi mountings used on a katana or wakizashi

HATARAKI - 働き - activities or workings within the hamon or temperline

HI - 樋 - grooves in the blade

HIRA - 平 - Area extending from the Shinogi to the Ha or cutting edge

HIRA ZUKURI - 平造 - blade without a shinogi (flat blade)

HIRO SUGUHA - 広直刃 - wide, straight temper line (hamon)

HITATSURA - 皆焼 - full tempered hamon

HITSU / HITSU-ANA - 櫃穴 - holes in the tsuba for the kozuka or kogai

HORIMONO - 彫物 - carvings on sword blades

HOTSURE - ほつれ - stray lines from hamon into the ji

ICHIMAI BOSHI - 一枚帽子 - point area (kissaki) that is fully tempered

IHORI MUNE - 庵棟 - peaked back ridge

IKUBI - 猪首 - boar's neck (a short, wide kissaki)

INAZUMA - 稲妻 - lightning (a type of activity in the hamon)

IRI - 入 - Added to. Frequently seen in sword descriptions. An example of this may be in a hamon's hataraki description, such as 直小足入 Sugu ko ashi iri or small ashi added to Suguba hamon

ITAME - 板目 - wood grained hada

ITO SUGU - 糸直 - thin, thread like hamon

JI - 地 - sword surface between the shinogi and the hamon

JI GANE - 地鉄 - surface steel

JI HADA - 地肌 - surface pattern of the hada

JI NIE - 地沸え - islands of nie in the ji

JIZO BOSHI - 地蔵帽子 - boshi shaped like a priest's head

JUYO - 重要 - A level of quality judged by the NBTHK defining the sword or kodogu as very important work.

JUTO TOKEN - 重要刀剣 - As above but refering to a sword only.

Juyo Bijitsuhin - 重要美術品証書 - An old level of quality judged by the Japanese government defining the sword or kodogu as important cultural assets. This level has been replaced with Juyo Bunkazai.

JUYO BUNKAZAI- 重要文化財 - see above.

JUZU - 数珠 - hamon like rosary beads

KAEN - 火焔 - flame shaped boshi

KAERI - 返り - turnback (refers to the boshi at the mune)

KAERI TSUNO - 返り角 - catch-hook on saya

KAI GUNTO - 海軍刀 - naval sword

KAJI - 鍛冶 - swordsmith

KAKIHAN - 書き判 - swordsmiths or tsuba makers monogram

KANJI - 漢字 - Japanese characters

KANTEI - 鑑定 - The study of and conclusion of the school and provenance of the sword or Kodogu. KAO - 花押 - carved monogram of swordsmith on tang (nakago)

KASANE - 重ね - thickness of blade

KATAKIRIHA-ZUKURI - 片切刃造 - sword with one side flat (no shinogi)

KATANA - 刀 - sword worn in the obi, cutting edge up

KATANA-MEI - 刀銘 - signature signed on the side that faces out when worn edge up

KAWAGANE - 皮鉄 - skin or surface steel

KAZU UCHI MONO - 数打物 - mass produced swords

KEN - 剣 - straight double edged sword

KENGYO - 剣形 - triangular or pointed nakago-jiri

KESHO YASURIME - 化粧鑢目 - decorative file marks on nakago

KINZOGAN-MEI - 金象嵌銘 - attribution in gold inlay on nakago

KINSUJI - 金筋 - whitish line along hamon

KIRI KOMI - 切り込み - sword cut or nick on the blade from another sword

KISSAKI - 切先 - point of blade

KITAE - 鍛 - forging

KIZU - 傷 - flaw

KO - 小 - small

KOBUSE - 甲伏せ - blade constructed with hard steel around a soft core

KO-CHOJI - 小丁子 - small choji hamon

KODACHI - 小太刀 - small tachi

KODOGU - 小道具 - all the sword fittings except the tsuba

KOGAI - 笄 - hair pick accessory

KOIGUCHI - 鯉口 - the mouth of the scabbard or its fitting

KOJIRI - こじり - end of the scabbard

KO MARU - 小丸 - small round boshi

KO MIDARE - 小乱れ - small irregular hamon

KO MOKUME - 小杢目 - small wood grain hada

KO NIE - 小沸え - small or fine nie

KO NIE DEKI - 小沸え出来 - composed of small nie

KO NUKA - 小糠肌 - Hizen Hada, this hada is very tight and resembles rice grains

KOSHIRAE - 拵え ( alt 外装 ) - sword mountings or fittings

KOSHI-ZORI - 腰反り - curve of the blade is near the hilt

KOTO - 古刀 - Old Sword Period (prior to about 1596)

KOZUKA - 小柄 - handle of accessory knife

KUNI - 国 - province

KURIJIRI - 栗尻 - rounded nakago jiri

KUZURE - 崩れ - crumbling or disintegrating

MACHI - 区 ( alt 匸 ) - notches at the start of the ha and mune

MACHI-OKURI - 区送り - blade shortened by moving up the ha-machi and mune-machi

MARU MUNE - 丸棟 - round mune

MASAME - 柾目 - straight grain (hada)

MEI - 銘 - swordsmith's signature

MEKUGI - 目釘 - sword peg

MEKUGI ANA - 目釘穴 - hole for mekugi

MIDARE - 乱れ - irregular, uneven temperline (hamon)

MIDARE KOMI - 乱込み - uneven pattern in boshi

MIHABA - 身幅 - width of sword blade at the machi

MIMIGATA - 耳形 - ear shaped hamon

MITSU MUNE - 三つ棟 - three-sided mune

MIZUKAGE - 水影 - hazy line in ji commonly due to re-tempering

MOKUME - 杢目 - burl like hada

MONOUCHI - 物打 - main cutting portion of blade (first six inches from kissaki)

MOROHA-ZUKURI - 両刃造 - A blade that is double-edged and a term that is usualy used with tanto

MOTO HABA - 元幅 - blade width near habaki

MOTO KASANE - 元重 - blade thickness near habaki

MUJI - 無地 - no visible grain

MUJI-FU - 無地風 - Means that the style of the grain pattern is Muji

MUMEI - 無銘 - no signature (unsigned blade)

MUNE - 棟 - back ridge of sword blade

MUNEMACHI - 棟区 - notch at start of mune

MUNEYAKI - 棟焼 - regions of temper along the mune

NAGAMAKI - 長巻 - halberd weapon mounted as a sword

NAGASA - 長さ - blade length (from tip of kissaki to munemachi)

NAGINATA - 薙刀 - halberd

NAKAGO - 中心 - sword tang

NAKAGO JIRI - 茎尻 - The end or but of the nakago

NANAKO - 魚子 - raised dimpling (fish roe)

NASHIJI - 梨地肌 - hada like pear skin

NENGO - 年号 - Japanese era

NENKI - 年紀 - date inscription

NIE - 沸え - bleft crystals in hamon or ji

NIE DEKI - 沸え出来 - hamon done in nie

NIKU - 肉 - meat ( alt Hiraniku 平肉) (blade having lots of fullness)

NIOI - 匂い - cloud like hamon

NIOI DEKI - 匂い出来 - composed of nioi

NIOI GUCHI - 匂い口 - Nioi that forms the border ( or line ) between the Ji and the Ha, "guchi" means gate.

NOTARE - 湾れ - wave like hamon

NOTARE MIDARE - 湾れ乱れ - irregular wave like hamon

O - 大 - large

O CHOJI - 大丁子 - large choji hamon

O KISSAKI - 大切先 - large kissaki

O MIDARE - 大乱れ - large irregular hamon

OMOTE - 表 - signature side of the nakago

O NIE - 大沸え - large nie

O NOTARE - 大湾れ - large wave patterned hamon

ORIKAESHI MEI - 折返し 銘 - folded signature

OSHIGATA - 押形 - rubbing of the signature on the nakago

O-SURIAGE - 大磨上 - a shortened tang with the signature removed

RYUHA - 流派 - School

SAGEO - 下緒 - cord used for tying the saya to the obi

SAKA - 逆 - slanted

SAKI - 先 - tip or point

SAKI HABA - 先幅 - blade width at yokote

SAKI ZORI - 先反り- curvature in the top third of the blade

SAME - 鮫 ( or 鮫皮 SAMEKAWA - full name ) - rayskin used for tsuka (handle) covering

SAMURAI - 侍 ( alt士 ) - Japanese warrior or the warrior class

SANBONSUGI - 三本杉 - "three cedars" (hamon with repeating three peaks)

SAYA - 鞘 - sword scabbard

SAYAGAKI - 鞘書 - attribution on a plain wood scabbard

SAYAGUCHI - 鞘口 - mouth of the scabbard (koi-guchi)

SEPPA - 切羽 - washers or spacers

SHAKU - 尺 - Japanese unit of measure approximately one foot

SHINAE - 撓え - ripples in steel due to bending of blade

SHINOGI - 鎬 - ridgeline of the blade

SHINOGI JI - 鎬地 - sword flat between the mune and shinogi

SHINOGI ZUKURI - 鎬造 - The standard sword construction seen in the majority of swords. Depicted by a shinogi or line running the full length of the blade and separating the shinogi-ji and the ji.

SHIN SHINTO - 新新刀 - New-New Sword Period (1781 to 1868)

SHINTO - 新刀 - New Sword Period (1596 to 1781)

SHIRASAYA - 白鞘 - plain wood storage scabbard

SHOBU ZUKURI - 菖蒲造 - blade where shinogi goes to the tip of the kissaki (no yokote)

SHOGUN - 将軍 - supreme military leader

SHOWATO - 昭和刀- sword made during the Showa Era (usually refers to low quality blades)

SHUMEI - 朱銘 - red lacquer signature

SORI - 反り- curvature

SUDARE-BA - 簾刃 - bamboo blinds effects in hamon

SUGATA - 姿 - shape of sword blade

SUGUHA - 直刃 ( alt SUGUBA ) - straight temper line

SUNAGASHI - 砂流し ( alt 砂流 ) - activity in hamon like brushed sand

SURIAGE - 磨上 - shortened tang

TACHI - 太刀 - long sword worn with cutting-edge down

TACHI MEI - 太刀銘 - signature facing away from body when worn edge down

TAKANOHA - 鷹の羽 - hawk feather style of yasurime

TAMAHAGANE - 玉鋼 - raw steel for making swords

TANAGO BARA - たなご腹 -fish belly shaped nakago

TANTO - 短刀 - dagger or knife with blade less than 12 inches

TENSHO SURIAGE - 天正磨上 - Swords that were shortened in the Tensho period ( 1573 - 1592 ) due to the fashion of the lengths of swords in that period of time. TO - 刀- sword

TOBIYAKI - 飛焼 - islands of tempering in the ji

TOGARI - 尖り - pointed

TORAN BA - 濤瀾刃 - high wave like hamon

TORII ZORI - 鳥居反り - sword curve in the middle of the blade

TSUBA - 鍔 - sword guard

TSUKA - 柄 - sword handle

TSUKARE - 疲れ - meaning that this sword is tired.

TSUKURI / ZUKURI - 造込 - sword

UBU - 生 - original, complete, unaltered tang (nakago)

UCHIGATANA - 打ち刀 - fighting katana

UCHIKO - 打ち粉 - fine powder used to clean sword blades

UMA HA - 馬歯 - horse teeth hamon

URA - 裏 - side of the nakago facing toward the body

UTSURI - 映り - reflection of temper line in ji

WAKIZASHI - 脇差 (alt 脇指) - short sword (blade between 12 and 24 inches)

WARE - 割れ - opening in the steel

YAKI DASHI - 焼出し - straight temperline near the hamachi

YA HAZU - 矢筈 - arrow notch shaped hamon

YAKIBA - 焼き刃 - hardened, tempered sword edge

YAKIDASHI - 焼出し - hamon beginning just above the ha-machi

YAKIHABA - 焼き幅 - width of yakiba

YAKI IRE - 焼入れ - fast quenching of sword (tempering)

YAKIZUME - 焼詰 - temperline in boshi with no turnback

YARI - 槍 - spear

YASURIME - 鑢目- file marks on nakago

YOKOTE - 横手 - line between ji and kissaki

ZUKURI - 造り- sword