also: てがたな
noun
knife hand; hand used like a sword
Refers to the hand held flat with fingers together, used in martial arts strikes or as a gesture. The reading しゅとう is standard in karate and similar contexts.
空手では手刀打ちが基本技の一つだ。
In karate, the knife-hand strike is one of the basic techniques.
彼は手刀で相手の腕を打ち落とした。
He struck down his opponent's arm with a knife hand.
Specifically refers to the knife-hand strike technique, while 手刀 is the hand shape itself.
Compound of 手 (hand) and 刀 (sword), literally 'hand sword'. The reading しゅとう is the on'yomi, while てがたな is the kun'yomi.