Kukri

Quick Facts

OriginNepal

Weapon typeKnife

How it worksCutting

Wield typeSingle-handed

MaterialSteel, Horn and bone

Period of useMedieval, Present day

Original purposeCivilian self-defence and duelling, Military weapon

Carried byInfantry

Length40–45 cm

Weight450–900 g

About the weapon

The kukri, in Nepali khukuri, is a knife or short sword with a markedly recurved blade from the Indian subcontinent and the national weapon of Nepal. The earliest mentions of its use go back to the 7th century; among the oldest surviving pieces are the knives of Drabya Shah from around 1559, held in the National Museum of Nepal in Kathmandu. The shape may derive from domestic sickles, or from the ancient Indian sword nistrimsa, perhaps derived from the Greek kopis of Alexander the Great's time. A kukri for everyday use measures 40 to 45 cm in total, the blade 26 to 38 cm, and it weighs about 450 to 900 g. Today's blades are often forged from spring steel, sometimes from discarded truck suspension springs. The handle is usually hardwood or water buffalo horn, glued with laha resin. The edge has the characteristic cho notch shaped like the figure 3. The scabbard also carries a small knife called karda and an unsharpened chakmak for polishing the blade. Every Gurkha soldier receives two kukris, ceremonial (Service No. 1) and training (Service No. 2). The knife equips the British Brigade of Gurkhas, the Singapore police and Indian units such as the Assam Rifles. The making of kukris is traditionally passed down in the Bishwakarma Kami caste. The best-known belief holds that a blade drawn for a fight must draw blood before returning to its scabbard. In Bram Stoker's novel Dracula (1897), Jonathan Harker cuts Dracula's throat with his own kukri.

Parts of the weapon

• Edge — cho

Care and maintenance

• Caring for steel and iron blades