Japanese symbol for “bean”
豆
まめ
Romaji: mame
legume (esp. edible legumes or their seeds, e.g. beans, peas, pulses); bean; pea
In Japanese, bean is 豆, read まめ (mame).
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 legume (esp. edible legumes or their seeds, e.g. beans, peas, pulses); bean; pea
- n soya bean (Glycine max); soybean; soy
- n female genitalia (esp. the clitoris)
- n kidney (food)
- pref small; miniature; baby; midget; small-scale
- pref child
Written forms: 豆、荳、菽. Readings: まめ、マメ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “bean”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ビーン | ビーン biin | bean |
| 豆粒 | まめつぶ mametsubu | (single) bean; pea |
| ド頭 | どたま dotama | head; dome; bean |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 豆腐 | とうふ toufu | tofu; bean curd; beancurd |
| 納豆 | なっとう nattou | natto (fermented soybeans) |
| 大豆 | だいず daizu | soya bean (Glycine max); soybean; soy |
| 小豆 | あずき azuki | adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) |
| 豆乳 | とうにゅう tounyuu | soy milk |
| 枝豆 | えだまめ edamame | edamame (green soybeans) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bean”.
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.
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