Japanese symbol for “barley”
麦
むぎ
Romaji: mugi
wheat; barley; oat (oats)
In Japanese, barley is 麦, read むぎ (mugi).
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 wheat; barley; oat (oats)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “barley”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大麦 | おおむぎ oomugi | barley (Hordeum vulgare) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小麦 | こむぎ komugi | wheat |
| 小麦粉 | こむぎこ komugiko | wheat flour |
| 蕎麦 | そば soba | buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) |
| 大麦 | おおむぎ oomugi | barley (Hordeum vulgare) |
| 麦茶 | むぎちゃ mugicha | barley tea |
| 麦芽 | ばくが bakuga | malt |
See also: Chinese symbol for “barley”.
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.