匕首

Chinese
dagger; ladle; an ancient type of spoon
 
head; chief; first (occasion); first (thing); measure word for poems
simp. and trad.
(匕首)		 匕 首

Pronunciation
Note: Often mispronounced as bìshǒu.

Noun

匕首

  1. dagger (Classifier: 把 m)

Synonyms

Derived terms
  • 匕首投槍／匕首投枪
  • 匕首槍／匕首枪

Japanese

Etymology 1
Kanji in this term
匕 首
ひ
Hyōgaiji		 しゅ
Grade: 2
goon

From Chinese 匕首, possibly from Middle Chinese. Appears in texts from at least the 1300s.[1]

The Chinese dagger was sometimes used for assassination, and had a spoon-shaped blade tip designed to inflict damage on the victim's neck. Hence the spelling, literally 匕 (“spoon”) + 首 (“neck”).

Pronunciation

Noun

匕首 (hiragana ひしゅ, rōmaji hishu)

  1. Synonym of あいくち: aikuchi, a type of 短刀 (たんとう) (tantō) dagger

Etymology 2
Kanji in this term
匕 首
あい
Hyōgaiji		 くち
Grade: 2
Irregular

The spelling is Jukujikun (熟字訓), based on a roughly similar kind of dagger used in China. That dagger was sometimes used for assassination, and had a spoon-shaped blade tip designed to inflict damage on the victim's neck. Hence the spelling, literally 匕 (“spoon”) + 首 (“neck”).

For pronunciation and definitions of 匕首 – see あいくち.
(This term, 匕首, is a kanji spelling of あいくち.)

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
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