King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “braid”

Romaji: kumu
to cross (legs or arms); to link (arms)

In Japanese, braid is , read (kumu).

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

  1. v5m, vi, vt to cross (legs or arms); to link (arms)
  2. v5m, vi, vt to put together; to construct; to assemble; to produce (e.g. TV program)
  3. v5m, vi, vt to braid; to plait
  4. v5m, vi, vt to grapple; to wrestle
  5. v5m, vi, vt to unite; to join; to link up; to form an alliance
  6. v5m, vi, vt to set (e.g. type)

Kanji and stroke order

association, braid, plait
on: ソ
kun: く.む、くみ、-ぐみ
11 strokes · JLPT 2

Other Japanese words for “braid”

WordReadingMeaning
さなだ sanadaplait; braid
あむ amuto knit; to plait; to braid
ブレード bureedobraid
くみひも kumihimobraid; plaited cord
さなだひも sanadahimobraid

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ばんぐみ bangumiprogram (e.g. TV); programme
そしき soshikiorganization; organisation; formation
しくみ shikumistructure; construction; arrangement
くみあい kumiaiassociation; union; guild
とりくみ torikumieffort; initiative; dealing with

See also: Chinese symbol for “braid”.

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.