Japanese symbol for “cage”
籠
かご
Romaji: kago
basket (shopping, etc.); hamper; cage
In Japanese, cage is 籠, read かご (kago).
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 basket (shopping, etc.); hamper; cage
Written forms: 籠、篭. Readings: かご、カゴ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “cage”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 檻 | おり ori | cage; pen; (jail) cell |
| ケージ | ケージ keeji | cage |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 印籠 | いんろう inrou | inro; seal case; pill box |
| 旅籠 | はたご hatago | inn; tavern; hatago |
| 蒸籠 | せいろ seiro | bamboo steamer; steaming basket; wooden frame holder with reed base used to steam food over a pot |
| 蛇籠 | じゃかご jakago | gabion; cage filled with stones |
| 葛籠 | つづら tsuzura | wicker clothes hamper |
See also: Chinese symbol for “cage”.
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.