shuriken means A dart or throwing blade, sometimes with multiple points, used as a weapon by ninja (or samurai). It carries an Arena rating of 1444, earned across 105 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, shuriken ranks #815 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,448 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #3,108 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,529 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words.
shuriken is pronounced /ˈʃuː.ɹɪ.kən/.
Why “shuriken” is a great word
SHURIKEN — [Noun] A small, handheld blade or dart, often with multiple sharpened points, designed to be thrown as a concealed weapon. From Japanese 手裏剣 (shuriken), from Middle Chinese 手 (ʃúw, "hand") + 裏 (lí, "inside") + 劍 (kjæ̀m, "sword"), literally "hand-hidden sword." Unlike the *kunai*—a general-purpose utility tool adapted for combat—or the *glaive*—an open, sweeping polearm—the shuriken is a weapon of pure intention: small, concealed, and engineered solely as a thrown projectile. It is the sharp glint of metal palmed in shadow, the geometric asterisk of a star caught in wood, the silent puncture in a paper screen; a promise of violence held close, then released in a single, decisive breath.
Etymology
From Japanese 手裏剣 (しゅりけん shuriken), from Middle Chinese 手 (ʃúw "hand") + 裏 (lí "inside") + 劍 (kjæ̀m "sword").
noun
- A dart or throwing blade, sometimes with multiple points, used as a weapon by ninja (or samurai).
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- ninjato 61% match — A straight-bladed short sword, commonly appearing in works of fiction as a weapon of the shinobi in feudal Japan. vs shuriken →
- naginata 57% match — A traditional Japanese halberd: a polearm historically used to cut down infantry and cavalry. vs shuriken →
- kusarigama 53% match — A Japanese martial arts chain weapon that consists of a kama (the Japanese equivalent of a sickle), on a length of kusari (metal chain) with a heavy fundo (iron weight) at the end; a chain sickle. vs shuriken →
- kunoichi 53% match — A female ninja. vs shuriken →
- kukri 53% match — A curved Nepalese knife used especially by Gurkha fighters; many variants exist, but all share recurve as a common theme. vs shuriken →
- yari 52% match — Any of various sizes of spear used in Japanese martial arts. vs shuriken →
- shinai 51% match — A bamboo sword used in the Japanese martial art kendo. vs shuriken →
- snickersnee 51% match — A large, sword-like knife, especially one used as a weapon. vs shuriken →