Japanese symbol for “bramble”
荊棘
けいきょく
Romaji: keikyoku
wild rose; bramble
In Japanese, bramble is 荊棘, read けいきょく (keikyoku).
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 wild rose; bramble
- n briar patch
- n obstacle; source of difficulty; thorn
Written forms: 荊棘. Readings: けいきょく、ばら.
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 荊冠 | けいかん keikan | crown of thorns |
| 荊妻 | けいさい keisai | one's own wife |
| 荊棘線 | ばらせん barasen | barbed wire |
| 蔓荊 | はまごう hamagou | beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia); round-leaf vitex |
| 棘皮動物 | きょくひどうぶつ kyokuhidoubutsu | echinoderm |
| 骨棘 | こつきょく kotsukyoku | bone spur; osteophyte |
| 棘魚 | とげうお togeuo | stickleback (Gasterosteidae spp.) |
| 棘鼠 | とげねずみ togenezumi | Ryukyu spiny rat (Tokudaia osimensis) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bramble”.
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.