Japanese symbol for “butterfly”
蝶
ちょう
Romaji: chou
butterfly
In Japanese, butterfly is 蝶, 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 butterfly
Written forms: 蝶. Readings: ちょう、チョウ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “butterfly”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蝶々 | ちょうちょう chouchou | butterfly |
| バタフライ | バタフライ batafurai | butterfly (swimming stroke) |
| 胡蝶 | こちょう kochou | butterfly |
| パピヨン | パピヨン papiyon | butterfly |
| 夢見鳥 | ゆめみどり yumemidori | butterfly |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 蝶々 | ちょうちょう chouchou | butterfly |
| 胡蝶 | こちょう kochou | butterfly |
| 蝶番 | ちょうつがい choutsugai | hinge |
| 蝶々夫人 | ちょうちょうふじん chouchoufujin | Madama Butterfly (opera by Puccini); Madam Butterfly |
| 蝶結び | ちょうむすび choumusubi | bow; bowknot |
| 揚羽蝶 | あげはちょう agehachou | swallowtail butterfly (esp. the citrus swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “butterfly”.
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.