Japanese symbol for “bamboo”
竹
たけ
Romaji: take
bamboo (any grass of subfamily Bambusoideae)
In Japanese, bamboo is 竹, read たけ (take).
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 bamboo (any grass of subfamily Bambusoideae)
- n middle (of a three-tier ranking system)
Written forms: 竹. Readings: たけ、タケ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “bamboo”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 篠竹 | しのだけ shinodake | bamboo grass; bamboo |
| 此の君 | このきみ konokimi | bamboo |
| 角柱 | かくちゅう kakuchuu | bamboo |
| バンブー | バンブー banbuu | bamboo |
| 篠笹 | しのざさ shinozasa | bamboo grass; bamboo |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 竹林 | ちくりん chikurin | bamboo thicket; bamboo grove |
| 竹刀 | しない shinai | bamboo sword (for kendo); bamboo fencing stick |
| 爆竹 | ばくちく bakuchiku | firecracker |
| 竹馬 | たけうま takeuma | stilts (for walking) |
| 青竹 | あおだけ aodake | green bamboo |
| 松竹梅 | しょうちくばい shouchikubai | pine, bamboo and plum (an auspicious grouping) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bamboo”.
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.