Japanese symbol for “bendy”

撓やか

たわやか

Romaji: tawayaka

flexible; pliant; pliable; supple

In Japanese, bendy is 撓やか, read たわやか (tawayaka).

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

adj-na flexible; pliant; pliable; supple; bendy

Kanji and stroke order

撓

bend, train, lithe

on: トウ、キョウ、コウ、ジョウ
kun: たわ.む、しな.う、しお.る、たわ.める

15 strokes

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
不撓	ふとう futou	unbending; inflexible; tenacity
撓み	たわみ tawami	bend; curvature; deflection
撓む	たわむ tawamu	to bend; to warp
可撓	かとう katou	flexible
不撓不屈	ふとうふくつ futoufukutsu	tenacity; indomitableness; dauntlessness
撓わ	たわわ tawawa	heavily laden (of a branch); sagging; drooping

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.