Quote:
Originally Posted by chryuop
Yesterday Ｉ came across this word: 竹刀. I had never seen it before, but I assumed it was a bamboo word. I look on the dictionary for it thinking it might be read something like ちくとう or (less probable) たけそり. With my amazement I found out it is read しない (none of the two a reading I knew for those 2 kanji).
Now, my question is this one. Is the reading しない because a bamboo sword is supposed not to cause death? (forgive me, but I had to ask).
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You have such a a wild imagination.
The word comes from
撓い竹 ＝ しないだけ = bending (or supple) bamboo.
The kanji 竹刀 is merely a substitute. We already had the verb "shinau = to bend, to be supple" before we had any contact with the Chinese.