Japanese symbol for “bulb”
球
きゅう
Romaji: kyuu
sphere; globe; ball; bulb
In Japanese, bulb is 球, read きゅう (kyuu).
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 sphere; globe; ball; bulb
- n ball; sphere (math)
- ctr counter for pitches (baseb)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “bulb”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 玉 | たま tama | bulb (i.e. a light bulb) |
| 球根 | きゅうこん kyuukon | (plant) bulb |
| バルブ | バルブ barubu | bulb |
| 鱗茎 | りんけい rinkei | bulb (of a lily, tulip, etc.) |
| 蹄球 | ていきゅう teikyuu | bulb (of an animal's hoof) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 地球 | ちきゅう chikyuu | Earth; the globe |
| 野球 | やきゅう yakyuu | baseball |
| 球団 | きゅうだん kyuudan | baseball team |
| 卓球 | たっきゅう takkyuu | table tennis; ping-pong |
| 電球 | でんきゅう denkyuu | light bulb |
| 球場 | きゅうじょう kyuujou | baseball stadium; ballpark |
See also: Chinese symbol for “bulb”.
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.