Japanese symbol for “bowel”
腸
ちょう
Romaji: chou
intestine; bowel
In Japanese, bowel is 腸, read ちょう (chou).
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 intestine; bowel (anat)
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 胃腸 | いちょう ichou | stomach and intestines; gastrointestinal tract; digestive organs |
| 大腸 | だいちょう daichou | large intestine; large bowel; colon |
| 盲腸 | もうちょう mouchou | cecum; caecum; blind gut |
| 大腸菌 | だいちょうきん daichoukin | Escherichia coli (E. coli) |
| 直腸 | ちょくちょう chokuchou | rectum |
| 十二指腸 | じゅうにしちょう juunishichou | duodenum |
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.