Japanese symbol for “apical”

舌尖音

ぜっせんおん

Romaji: zessen'on

apical consonant; apical; apex

In Japanese, apical is 舌尖音, read ぜっせんおん (zessen'on).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

n apical consonant; apical; apex (ling)

Kanji and stroke order

舌

tongue, reed, clapper

on: ゼツ
kun: した

6 strokes · JLPT 1

尖

be pointed, sharp, taper

on: セン
kun: とが.る、さき、するど.い

6 strokes

音

sound, noise

on: オン、イン、-ノン
kun: おと、ね

9 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
毒舌	どくぜつ dokuzetsu	wicked tongue; sharp tongue; abusive language
舌打ち	したうち shitauchi	clicking one's tongue; tut-tut
弁舌	べんぜつ benzetsu	speech; eloquence; manner of speaking
二枚舌	にまいじた nimaijita	double-dealing; duplicity; equivocation
饒舌	じょうぜつ jouzetsu	talkativeness; garrulity; loquacity
舌戦	ぜっせん zessen	war of words
尖る	とがる togaru	to taper to a point; to become pointed; to become sharp
尖り	とんがり tongari	(sharp) point
音楽	おんがく ongaku	music

See also: Chinese symbol for “apical”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.