The tonfa's origin is found outside of Okinawa. Folklore says it was originally used as the wooden handle that fit into the side of millstones and was later developed into a weapon.

In China, the tonfa is said to have developed from a crutch. Either way, it was also an early weapon of Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. A similar weapon is used in Thailand and called the mae sun sawk which had rope tying the elbow end of it to the arm.

Now, sometimes police officers in Europe, China, and Croatia use the tonfa instead of a normal baton.

The tonfa traditionally consists of two parts, a handle with a knob, and perpendicular to the handle, a shaft or board that lies along the hand and forearm. The shaft is usually 51-61 cm (20-24 in) long; optimally, it extends about 3 cm past the elbow when held. Often the shaft has rounded off ends which may be grooved for a better grip. There is a smaller cylindrical grip secured at a 90 degrees angle to the shaft, about 15 centimetres from one end.

There are numerous ways to defend and attack with the tonfa.

In defense, if the handle is grasped then the shaft protects the forearm and hand from blows from the opponents and the knob can protect the thumb. If both ends of the shaft are held, the shaft can be used to ward off blows and the handle can be used as a hook to catch the opponent's weapons.

In attack, one can swing the shaft to strike the target. Large amounts of momentum can be imparted to the shaft by twirling the tonfa by the handle. The tonfa can also be wielded in such a way as to use the knob as a striking implement, held either by the handle or by the shaft. One can also stab one's opponents with the shaft of the tonfa. By holding the shaft and the handle of the tonfa together, one can use it for holding or breaking techniques.

Tonfa are traditionally wielded in pairs, one in each hand. This is unlike police nightsticks, which are generally used alone. As the tonfa can be held in many different ways, education in the use of the tonfa often involves learning how to switch between different grips at high speed. Such techniques require great manual dexterity.