Japanese symbol for “bear”
熊
くま
Romaji: kuma
bear (any mammal of family Ursidae)
In Japanese, bear is 熊, read くま (kuma).
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 bear (any mammal of family Ursidae)
Written forms: 熊. Readings: くま、クマ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “bear”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 耐える | たえる taeru | to bear; to stand; to endure |
| 負う | おう ou | to carry on one's back; to bear; to shoulder |
| 生む | うむ umu | to give birth; to bear (child); to lay (eggs) |
| 担う | になう ninau | to carry on one's shoulder; to shoulder; to bear |
| 結ぶ | むすぶ musubu | to bear (fruit) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 熊本 | くまもと kumamoto | Kumamoto (city, prefecture) |
| 熊手 | くまで kumade | rake; fork; bamboo rake |
| 穴熊 | あなぐま anaguma | badger |
| 白熊 | しろくま shirokuma | polar bear (Ursus maritimus) |
| 小熊 | こぐま koguma | small bear; bear cub |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bear”.
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.