Thai Swords: All You Need to Know

Thai Swords: All You Need to Know

Thai swords, or “Dhab,” are renowned for their distinctive, elegant style, shared across mainland Southeast Asia—particularly in Thailand, Laos, and Burma. These swords feature curved blades, elongated handles, and no handguard—prioritizing fluidity and balance. Among them, the ‘Dhab Luang,’ or royal swords, are lavishly decorated with intricate brass or silver fittings, symbolizing status and prestige. In contrast, the ‘Dhab Baan,’ or commoners’ swords, were simpler, often crafted with hardwood scabbards and bound with rattan. This contrast highlights both the ornate craftsmanship for the elite and practical utility for daily life.

 

Blade Shapes

These Thai swords are crafted by highly skilled artisans using traditional hot forging and clay tempering, resulting in a blade with a hard edge and a softer spine, with a hardness of about 49 to 55 HRC. Because Thai blades do not emphasize springiness, they instead focus on a strong, stable edge that transmits force efficiently, without bending or vibrating in use.

In this collection, we offer three distinct blade shapes, each designed for unique performance characteristics.

1. Wai Tip (Upturned Tip)
 This blade has a distinctive form: from base to tip, its width remains constant. Instead of tapering into a forward-pointing sharp tip like a typical blade, the tip curves upward. This design makes it highly effective for both chopping and slicing.

2. Bua Laem (Pointed Lotus Tip)
 Blades in the lotus-tip family feature a cutting edge near the tip that curves upward to meet a spine that curves downward. This creates a shape resembling a lotus bud. Because the belly of the blade forms part of the tip, it delivers strong chopping, cutting, and hacking power, and can also produce wide wounds when thrusting.

3. Rice Leaf Blade
 A rice leaf–style blade has an edge near the tip that forms an angle of no more than 45 degrees with the spine. Its shape resembles a rice leaf, giving it excellent efficiency in thrusting and slicing.


Carrying cord

According to Thai belief, we believe that the color of the carrying cord, which wraps around the scabbard, must be chosen based on the zodiac, as it will bring fortune to the owner. Here are the recommended colors:

    1. Year of the Rat (Chuat) – Red or blue cord

    2. Year of the Ox (Chalu)  – Green or black cord

    3. Year of the Tiger (Khan) – Green or brown cord

    4. Year of the Rabbit (Tho) – Gray (ash) or white cord

    5. Year of the Dragon or Naga (Marong) – Black, yellow, or red cord

    6. Year of the Snake (Maseng) – Yellow cord

    7. Year of the Horse (Mamia) – Red cord

    8. Year of the Goat (Mamae) – White cord

    9. Year of the Monkey (Wok) – Green or indigo cord

    10. Year of the Rooster (Raka) – Red or yellow cord

    11. Year of the Dog (Cho) – Green or blue cord

    12. Year of the Pig or Elephant in The Northern Thai (Kun) – Red cord

 

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