Japanese symbol for “cancer”
癌
がん
Romaji: gan
cancer
In Japanese, cancer is 癌, read がん (gan).
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 cancer
Written forms: 癌. Readings: がん、ガン.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “cancer”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| キャンサー | キャンサー kyansaa | cancer |
| かに座 | かにざ kaniza | Cancer (constellation); the Crab |
| 巨蟹宮 | きょかいきゅう kyokaikyuu | Cancer (4th zodiacal sign); the Crab |
| 悪性腫瘍 | あくせいしゅよう akuseishuyou | malignant tumor; malignant tumour; malignancy |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 癌腫 | がんしゅ ganshu | carcinoma |
| 膵癌 | すいがん suigan | pancreatic cancer |
| 制癌剤 | せいがんざい seiganzai | anti-cancer drug; cancer-inhibiting drug |
| 舌癌 | ぜつがん zetsugan | cancer of the tongue |
| 口腔癌 | こうこうがん koukougan | oral cancer |
| 直腸癌 | ちょくちょうがん chokuchougan | rectal cancer |
See also: Chinese symbol for “cancer”.
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.