Japanese symbol for “beard”
髭
ひげ
Romaji: hige
moustache; mustache; beard; whiskers
In Japanese, beard is 髭, read ひげ (hige).
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 moustache; mustache; beard; whiskers; sideburns; facial hair
- n whiskers (on a cat, etc.); feelers (on an insect, etc.); (chin) tuft
- n shadow (on a candlestick chart) (finc)
Written forms: 髭、鬚、髯. Readings: ひげ、ヒゲ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “beard”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 芒 | のぎ nogi | arista; awn; (grain) beard |
| 顎髭 | あごひげ agohige | beard (esp. on the chin); goatee |
| 須髯 | しゅぜん shuzen | beard |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 髭面 | ひげづら higezura | bearded face; unshaven face; hairy face |
| ちょび髭 | ちょびひげ chobihige | small mustache; short mustache |
| 白髭 | しろひげ shirohige | grey moustache; gray mustache |
| 付け髭 | つけひげ tsukehige | false moustache |
| 天神髭 | てんじんひげ tenjinhige | drooping moustache; goatee |
| 八字髭 | はちじひげ hachijihige | finely trimmed moustache |
See also: Chinese symbol for “beard”.
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.