A wooden Japanese sword used for training, usually the size and shape of a katana, but sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the
wakizashi and
tanto.
Bokken is a term synonymous with bokutō in Japan, but is more widely used in the west.
Traditionally, the character Ken is used at the beginning of a word, for terms having to do with the sword, for example in
Kendō (way of the sword) and Kenjutsu (art of the sword). In contrast, tō is used primarily as a suffix, for example, in shōtō (
short sword) and
daitō (long sword). Thus, in Japan, the word bokuto (wood sword) is more commonly used.