Translation guide
A sword that has been pulled from its sheath, ready for use. In Japanese, this is most commonly expressed with the noun 抜き身 (nukimi) or the verb phrase 抜いた刀 (nuita katana). The concept appears in set phrases and idiomatic expressions.
Describing a sword that is out of its sheath, ready for combat or display.
A noun meaning a drawn sword or an unsheathed blade. Commonly used in both literal and figurative contexts.
彼は抜き身の刀を手にしていた。
He held a drawn sword in his hand.
Expressions that use the image of a drawn sword to convey readiness, tension, or irreversible action.
Simile meaning 'like a drawn sword', used to describe someone or something sharp, dangerous, or ready for action.
彼の眼光は抜き身の刀のようだった。
His gaze was like a drawn sword.
A phrase using the past tense of 抜く (to draw). Literally 'a sword that has been drawn'. More descriptive than 抜き身.
抜いた刀を鞘に戻した。
He returned the drawn sword to its scabbard.
A more dramatic or literary phrase meaning 'a sword drawn and brandished'. Used in historical or fictional contexts.
抜き放った刀が月明かりに光った。
The drawn sword gleamed in the moonlight.
A proverb meaning 'a drawn sword must see blood before it can be sheathed', implying that once a conflict has started, it must be carried through to the end.
彼は抜いた刀は血を見なければ納まらないと言った。
He said that a drawn sword must see blood before it can be sheathed.