Which to use
“kata” and “katana” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,625
- “kata” frequency rank
- #38,883
- “katana” frequency rank
- 87508
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kata | katana |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forme, technique dans les arts martiaux japonais. | Sabre japonais long (tranchant de plus de 60 cm), se maniant habituellement à deux mains, parfois à une main, qui forme avec le wakizashi (sabre court) le daisho, attribut réservé aux samouraïs, et qui se distingue par : une poignée (tsuka) longue traversée par une goupille en bambou (mekugi), recouverte de peau de raie ou de requin (same kawa), entourée d'une tresse (tsuka maki, tsuka ito) facilitant la prise en main en soie, coton ou cuir, avec des ornements au pommeau (kashira) et sur les flancs (menuki) ; une garde (tsuba) de petite taille ouvragée ; une lame courbe à un seul tranchant, avec éventuellement une gorge (bohi), ayant une ligne de trempe en forme de vague ou plus ou moins rectiligne (hamon). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kata and katana apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. kata (\ka.ta\) and katana (\ka.ta.na\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “kata” sits inside “katana”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 87508, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kata is recorded at frequency rank #48,625, classified as anoun, pronounced \ka.ta\. katana is at rank #38,883, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ka.ta.na\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 87508, this pair ranks #8,191 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of kata vs katana
Shared letters: akt. Private to "kata": -. Private to "katana": n.
"kata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "katana" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kata" and "katana" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kata" or "katana"?
Remembering kata vs katana
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kata” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable