a simple question

[Fechtbucher]

Forgive me of my ignorance, but what exactly does the number on the shinai indicate? Does a bigger number mean that the shinai is that many inches long or what? I have always wondered about this, so any enlightenment you can offer will be greatly apreciated.
The reason i dont know this very simple fact is because i dont do kendo, I study Western Martial Arts which deals with medieval sword fighting techniques and idealogies. But a still use shinai bc they are very good simulators of a lighter hand-and-a-half sword.

[Neil Gendzwill]

The number on the shinai normally indicates overall length in sun. 1 sun ~= 3 cm. The standard men's shinai is 39 sun, women's is 38. This number is usually on the tsuka-gawa (handle leather) - a tsuka-gawa meant for a 39 is also labelled 39. Sometimes people will use a shorter tsuka-gawa, if they like a closer grip. Then you'll see a shinai which looks to be labelled 38 (for example) but is actually a 39 with a 38 tsuka-gawa.

[Kendo ISB]

wait a sec...im a guy, and use a 38.....cuz its easier for me to use then 39 @_@. my teacher says im better with it @_@

[DanDan]

wait a sec...im a guy, and use a 38.....cuz its easier for me to use then 39 @_@. my teacher says im better with it @_@

it depends on how old u r also, doesnt it?

[Bleda]

Guys can use 39 or LESS if they are older than 18. If you are a guy and want to use a 38 thats fine, it just has to meet the weight requirement. What you might want to try to do though is get a 39 shinai and put a 38 tsuka on it. Your hands will have the 38 distance but you still get the reach of a 39.

[Snobody]

Er...I just noticed (because I couldn't find where the size was printed before ) that my shinai is only a size 36. I'm 14 and 5'5" and this seems a tad small, considering that there are people my height using 39's. Is this a problem? I'm relatively small and using it doesn't seem to be a big issue- I would imagine that being too large would be more of a problem. I'm not in bogu yet so I haven't had to deal with shorter reach or anything...
I bought the shinai through my dojo...

[Bleda]

because you're young its okay. If you are going to upgrade to anything make it a 38 until you're 18 then go up to a 39 (if you are a guy). Size is usually more easily corrected by changing the tsuka than the shinai so unless you are exceptionally small a 39 is fine.